And Then You'll Know
by Deadly Beauty
Summary: EPILOGUE UP! 2 years have passed since we last left our heros. Where will they be now? Will new challenges face them? Find out here, in the final instalment of ATYK. K18, CCK, BV
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer; Blah blah blah, I don't own DBZ and you know it. I do however, own the vast number of original characters that will pop up during this fic. So don't take em!

A/N; Yay, new fic! Finally my new multi-chaptered fic is here. This is only the prologue, so the other chapters will be longer than this. If you haven't read any of my previous fics, I'm, a K/18 fanatic so this is mainly a K/18 cause I love em, but it also has some K/CC and B/V. So enjoy, and please R/R. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know...

Prologue

They ran blindly through the forest in the black of night, they had been running for hours now and the only thing keeping them going was the screams of the other villagers who had been caught. They ran along side the adults of the village, desperately trying to outrun the elites, though they both knew it was futile. The elites wouldn't stop until every last one of them was in their possession.

"18 run faster. Do you want them to catch you?" the 11-year-old screamed to his sister. Suddenly the blonde girl stumbled, she was sore and tired. She hit the ground with a loud thud and this time 17 had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be getting back up. He stopped and crouched down next to his sister.

"I want mama" she whimpered. 17 hauled her to her feet and dragged her along.

"Shut up or they'll hear you!" he scolded her.

***

"Exactly how many more are there to go Vegeta?" asked Chi-chi, she was beginning to get board, but from the look on her brother's face, he was only just getting started and that'd been at it for nearly 3 hours.

"God you are impossible Chi, you were clearly a mistake" said Vegeta as he flew through the trees with his sister at his side.

"No, Krillen was a mistake" said Chi-chi and they both started to laugh at the expense of their little brother.

***

"Just stay here and be quiet ok" said 17 as she hugged his sister.

"But I'm scared and I want mama," 18 repeated herself. She never had been very brave. "You're staying here right?".

"Of course I'm staying here, I'm not gonna leave you, you're to dumb to look after your self". That earned 17 a little laugh from his sister.

"You suck" she said

"No as much as you". 18 poked her tongue out at her twin and sighed. They had alway been close and this was just their way of showing it, affection wasn't permitted in the house where the twins had grown up.

The next thing he knew 17 was dangling 3 feet from the ground and struggling to breathe.

"17!" 18 shrieked

"You should have known you couldn't hide from us for long" said Vegeta as he tightened his grip on 17's neck.

"You put him down right now you big bully" shouted 18 and she kicked Vegeta in the shin. He didn't even feel it

"You know little girl, I really don't like it when people hurt my big brother" said Chi-chi and with a tap to the back of the neck, she knocked 18 out. A few seconds later 17 passed out too. They'd fought for as long as they could but as usual they'd lost.

***

"Papa, we're home" said Chi-chi in a sing song voice as she strode happily into the throne room.

"Ah, Chi-chi, did you have fun?" asked the King.

"Yes, me and Vegeta got all the villagers just like you asked" replied Chi-chi.

"That's my girl, now why don't you go clean up, your covered in blood" suggested the king.

"Yes daddy" said Chi-chi and she skipped out the room. A few minutes later Nappa entered the room.

"What can I do for you Nappa?" asked the king.

"King Vegeta," Nappa bowed deeply to his king, "the villagers have arrived".

"Ah lead the way then".

***

18 opened her crystal blue eyes and realised she had no idea where she was and she didn't know where 17 was either. She started to cry and a lady from the village knelled down to comfort her.

"Shhh, it's ok 18, I'll look after you" 18 looked up, it was Astrid, one of her mama's friends.

"I'm scared Astrid" said 18, her shoulders shaking as she cried. The palace doors were pushed open and king Vegeta and his family walked into the courtyard. The 3 children went and sat down in the corner, and king Vegeta said something to his wife then she turned and went inside.

The king made his way over to the 3000 or so people from various villages who were in the courtyard and he ordered them to stand in a line. Once this task was completed he made his way down the line sending each person to either the left or right side of the courtyard. So far almost all of them were on the right the right side with about 60 on the left. Then he got to 18, he smirked and right away 18 knew something was wrong.

"What's your name young lady?" he asked, as he looked her up and down.

"18" she mumbled.

"Well I've got somewhere special for you to go 18," he said then he stood up and walked over to one of his guards. Soon the guard walked over to 18 and grabbed her arm so hard that 18 screamed out in pain, she was sure it would bruise instantly. He dragged her off inside the palace kicking and screaming.

"Where'd Nappa take that girl?" asked Krillen. Vegeta looked at his 11-year-old brother stupidly, he hated Krillen so much, he wasn't like a normal sayian.

Vegeta laughed evilly "He took her to the harem". Krillen gulped, that couldn't be good.

***

The next morning Krillen was lying in bed thinking about all the people he had seen the night before. His father had put most of them in the slave quarters, some went to train to become elites and there was that one girl. Krillen had asked Nappa exactly what the harem was and he was shocked to find out, it made him sick to his stomach that people could be treated that way. And he was even more horrified to find out the both his father and his big brother visited the harem several days a week.

*** 

In the next room Chi-chi was pulling on her training armour, which consisted of a sleeveless black spandex body suit, white boots and gloves and chest armour, which had the royal logo on it. She opened her bedroom door and walked straight into her best friend, Bulma, her dad was the planets top researcher and Bulma lived in the staff quarters with him and her mother.

"Morning Chi" said Bulma loudly.

"Bulma shut up, if you wake Vegeta he'll kill you" said Chi-chi. Bulma covered her mouth with her hand and both girls giggled and walked off down the hall.

***

17 sat in the corner, and sobbed. He had looked everywhere for 18, but she wasn't anywhere to be found, instead he found Astrid and she had told him that she had been taken away. Now he was sure she was dead. Chi-chi, Bulma and Vegeta all came into the room then. They looked around in disgust, the slave quarters of the palace was possibly the most dirty and unhygienic place on the entire planet. The Royals cared nothing for their health or well-being, and if they did there job correctly their reward was being allowed to live another day. The place they lived in was in actual fact were about 10 big rooms, that were joined by archways, all made of stone. There was hay scattered here and there for them to sleep on and that was it.

"Ok you two, just pick one and let's get out of here. This place stinks" said Vegeta.

"You said it" agreed Bulma.

Their eyes moved around the room, each of them eventually finding one they liked. The 3 unfortunate people who had been chosen were hauled up off the floor and ordered out the room. 17 breathed a sigh of relief, he had not been one of them. He stood up and made his way into the adjoining room, hoping he would find Astrid in there.

He spotted the older woman on the far side of the room "Astrid" he called out when he spotted her.

"What is it 17?" she asked. 17 wiped his face with the back of his hand, trying to remove the tears that were there.

"Do you think there's anyway to get out of here?" he asked. Astrid – who had always been honest with everyone in her life – shook her head glumly. "I don't think so little one. I don't think so". 17's shoulders slumped and he turned to go, "thanks anyway"

***

"No!," she shrieked "You stay away from me". Her blue eyes were shiny with tears and when they started to leak down her cheeks the man slapped her. The sound echoed throughout the room only to be drowned out seconds later by a new sound, that of 18 smashing up against the wall. She sunk to the ground in a sobbing heap. Celius strode over to her and pulled her up by her hair, she screamed out in pain but after that she did what he wanted her to, she was too scared and hurt to do anything else. 

She made a promise to herself that night. She wasn't going to be weak any more, she was going to be strong like 17 was, he was never scared of anything. She wasn't going to cry or scream anymore. She would be brave.

***

A/N; I am not new to the world of fanfiction, I do know what I'm doing. I am however still new in the A/U section of DBZ fics, so if you have any tips on how to write a good A/U I would like to hear them. I would also like to know what you though of my prologue, I promise the upcoming chapters are much better than this ok.

Please review.

~D.B 


	2. Palace Life

Disclaimer: I think I am running out of amusing disclaimers. I don't own DBZ, yet. MWA HA HA HA

A/N: OK, here is the first real chapter of this fic. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue it means heaps to me. Ok, if Juuachi 18 is reading this, can you please send me an e-mail, I wanted to send you one so we could chat, but I went to your bio and your e-mail wasn't disclosed. And Chrissy, A/U means Alternate Universe ^_~ Hope you enjoy this chap and please review. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 1

"This is Bullshit" 17 muttered to himself as he continued to rake the leaves. It was a pointless task, the king liked to do that to him, assign him to tasks that would do nothing but waste his time and energy. It was the middle of fall and every time 17 finished raking one section of the ground the pervious section would be dirty again. He finally gave up and threw the rake to the other side of the garden, nearly smashing a window, then he turned and stormed inside.

On his way back to check his task sheet he passed the throne room, and for a brief moment he entertained the notion of going in there and blasting the kings head off, yes, that would be fun. But the king on the Sayians was a smart and powerful man, the second 17 opened the door the king would have him in a headlock or some other form of unescapable grip, that would most probably be followed by unimaginable torture and finally end in death. 17 shuddered and continued down the hall, he had been serving the king for nearly 7 years now and he knew better than to stand outside that door. When he arrived at the wall, which had the task sheets on it, he stopped and ripped the one with his name on it off. His next task was "ugh" 17 moaned "floor scrubbing". He ran his hands through his knotty shoulder length black hair and straightened out the worn white top he was wearing. All the guy slaves had to wear the same stupid uniform, which consisted of a white tank top and very old and unfashionable black pants. 17 had had his for so long now that they were all faded and ripped they were barely even wearable any more.

It was inhumane the way the were treated, just because the royals were too lazy to do a single goddamn thing themselves.

***

"Hey you, get up now," when no reply came Chi-chi prodded the old woman with her foot. "I said get up!" she said it a little louder this time.

"Chi-chi hun," said Bulma from behind her best friend. "I hate to tell you. But I'm pretty sure she ain't waking up".

"Damn it" yelled Chi-chi and she kicked the corpse to the other side of the room then she turned to face Bulma. "That's the 5th one this month. Why the hell do they all keep dying on me?". Bulma giggled a little, wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders and lead her out the room towards the kitchen.

"It's not a big deal, it was just a slave. We'll just go and ask you dad if you can have another new one". Chi-chi's eyes lit up. "Good old daddy, I can get anything from him".

The two girls walked into the kitchen and sat down. Vegeta was on the other side of the table, an un holy amount of food in front of him, it was even unusual for even a sayian male to eat that much. Chi-chi looked at her older brother in disgust, she was glad that female sayians only ate a normal amount.

He put an empty bowl down on the table and a lady with red hair quickly removed it, and new bowl was placed in front of him shortly after, but he declined it after. "I'm full," he said then he turned to face the two girls. "What the hell do you want?"

"Food" replied Bulma and Chi-chi at the same time.

"Why didn't you just send Miji down here to get you something?" asked Vegeta. Bulmas giggles returned then and she had to cover her mouth and turn away. This caught Vegeta's attention.

"You, bluey. What the hell is so funny?" he demanded to know. Bulma narrowed her eyes at Vegeta, she hated it when he called her bluey, but soon she was giggling again.

"Chi-chi killed Miji".

"I didn't kill her," Chi-chi defended herself "She just died".

Vegeta rolled his eyes "Father will not be impressed with you" he said. Chi-chi stood up and re-adjusted the tiara in her hair, she wore that stupid thing everywhere. Vegeta despised his crown, he only wore it when absolutely necessary.

"Are you kidding Vegeta?," asked Chi-chi "Daddy won't be mad at me. I'm Chi-chi" and with that she bounced out the room, Bulma close behind. Vegeta shook his head and left the room to go and train.

***

"Ok you wait out here Bulma" said Chi-chi and she pushed open the huge door to the throne room and disappeared inside.

Her father seemed to be in a heated meeting with his right hand man Nappa, but he stopped when he caught sight of his only daughter approaching him.

"Ah Chi-chi dear. What can I do for you?" he asked. Chi-chi bowed to her father and smiled, curling her long black hair around her finger.

"Daddy," she said in her sweetest voice "I kinda need a new assistant"

"Chi-chi," King Vegeta sighed "There aren't enough female slaves left for you to just have a new one when ever you get sick of the old ones" he said.

"Well that's the thing daddy, Miji died" Chi-chi pretended to wipe a tear off her cheek for affect, her father was to far away to see there was nothing there.

"Oh" he said, he scratched his chin thoughtfully "I'll see what I can do ok". Chi-chi's tail swung back and fourth in excitement, "thanks daddy" she said and she skipped out the room.

"Well?" asked Bulma. Chi-chi finally dropped her sweet innocent 19-year-old act and reverted back to her old evil self, "I told you. I always get my way with him". Bulma smirked and both girls headed outside to the pool.

***

She was dressed in an obscenely short red dress, with a halter neck and an extremely low-neck line. Her shoulder length blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail on top of her head and she was wearing heavy red eyes make up and lipstick. But if that was what the harem guys wanted her in, then that was what she would wear. Cleo walked into the room then, she was dressed the same way as 18 except in emerald green. She had mascara smudged on her cheeks from crying 18 looked up at her for a split second then looked back at her spot on the wall.

"Stop you whingeing," she said "next time they call you in there just give em hell".

"Shut your face hoe" snapped Cleo. 18 stood up, she was considerably taller than Cleo, which was understandable considering Cleo was only 15 and she was nearly 18. Cleo swore at 18 loudly then stormed off into the washroom. 18 sat back down at continued to apply mascara to her already long lashes.

Suddenly the doors to the harem slammed open and King Vegeta stormed in. 18 didn't even look up, it was normal for him to come in here.

"You" he shouted, before pulling 18 up by the hair, she flinched but held her ground.

"Get off me" she hissed. The king smirked, "18, you know better than to speak to me like that". He let go of her hair and grabbed onto her tail instead. She screamed out in pain and fell to her knees. The king forced her back up. "18, your services are no longer required in the harem, instead you will be on slave duties. Follow me". The king strode out the room and 18 cautiously followed behind him.

She was lead down hall after hall, each one was less elegant that the last and towards the end of her journey a foul smell was invading her nostrils and she had to cover her face to stop herself from gagging. A cool breeze blew down the hall and she suddenly became aware of just how short her dress was, it only just covered her butt, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. The walls and floor were made of cobblestone and there were little slits in the walls every now and then which were supposed to serve as windows.

Suddenly the king stopped in front of her and she nearly walked into him. "You will be in here from now on, my daughter should come and fetch you sometime this afternoon. But for now just get in there and stay there" roared the king. 18 cowered at the sheer volume of his voice then quickly disappeared into the room.

***

The door creaked open and everyone in the room looked up. Many jaws hit the ground and many eyeballs popped out of sockets. The girl was dressed in a skimpy red dress and nothing more, not even shoes. She shut the door and looked back at the people with a deadly stare. One girl stood up and approached her, she looked to be about the same age.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"18" 18 introduced herself, as she looked the girl up and down. She had very long brown hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed for years, hazel eyes and she was wearing an white shirt and a black skirt, both item were old and worn.

"I'm Tarie" the girl said. Another woman came up to them then, she took hold of Tarie's arm and looked her in the eyes.

"Do you know who this is?" she asked.

"Not really Kori".

"This is _the_ 18, you know". Tarie's eyes grew wide as her brain made the connection, her tail flicked around excitedly.

"Oh my god, you're right. Where is he?" she asked

"Where is who?" asked 18, she hated to be out of the loop. Both Tarie and this Kori woman completely ignored her.

"I think he had to scrub the floors, he shouldn't be much longer now" said Kori, then she faced 18.

"Come with me" she said, and she led 18 into another room, she was too confused to protest.

***

17 was scrubbing away when he heard the door opening, he didn't look up, until a pair of bare feet was all he could see. He sat up and saw Tarie standing in front of him, puffing and out of breath. He stood up and put his hands on his friend's frail shoulders. "Tarie, what the hell is wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Come with me" she replied.

"Are you insane. King Vegeta will kill me"

"Trust me. This is worth it". 17 cocked his eyebrow, but then decided if Tarie was willing to leave 'hell' as they called it then it must have been important.

"Lead the way" said 17. Tarie didn't need to be told twice, before 17 even had the chance to blink she was gone.

***

"You let go of me right now" said 18, she forced Kori of her and stood up.

"Fine, just stay there and I'll find someone who might like to talk to". After this was said Kori left. A few minutes she came back with a woman who looked to be in her early to mid 40's. Her hair was greying and she was frail and wrinkled, but 18 knew exactly who she was.

"Astrid!" she exclaimed, more than a little happy. Astrid gave 18 a quick hug then took in her appearance. She knew the myth of the harem, but she had never actually believed it was any more than just a myth, until now.

"18, what happened to you, what happened to the sweet little 11 year old girl I remember?"

"She died along time ago," said 18 "I'm all that's left of her now"

"Well you certainly are beautiful" said Astrid. 18 heard the door open again, but she took no notice of it, and she saw a figure standing in the archway but it didn't click who it was until a few second later.

"17!," she screamed and she launched her self at her brother and hugged him extremely tight. "I thought you were dead".

The tears were streaming down 17's face, he too had thought his sister dead, but here she was, in the flesh. It was almost too good to be true.

"18, is it really you?" asked 17 once he regained the ability to speak.

"Uh-huh," came his sisters muffled reply, she pulled her head off his shoulder and looked up at him "I don't believe it". 17 looked at his sister's attire and shuddered.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"The harem," she replied "it was horrible," 18 looked around the room, "but something tells me this is going to be worse"

"Who are you serving?" asked Kori. 18 shrugged her shoulders, "The king said I was to serve his daughter, but that's all I know". Tarie covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. Everyone knew of Madam Chi-chi, she was the biggest, meanest bitch on Vegeta. She had killed 5 slaves in the past month and if 18 was to serve her now that meant Miji was also dead.

"Oh 18, you have all of our sympathy" said Kori as she sat on a pile of old hay, everyone else sat down too.

"Why?" asked 18.

"Madam Chi-chi will work you hard, she's worked 6 of us to death this month alone, all of our friends. Bailey, Nikki, Nisu, Rita, Imisha and now Miji. They're all gone" said Tarie sadly.

"Wow" said 18. Well there was no way she was going to be added to this Chi-chi's death toll. She was tough, and she was going to prove it.

In the other room, the door creaked open and a girl with long black hair stepped into the foul smelling room. She stepped over piles of hay and dirt, looking for someone, swearing she would get Bulma back later for not coming in here with her. She walked into the room were the others where and stopped.

"Which one of you is 18?" she asked, there was a tone to her voice that let everyone else present know she was superior to them. Slowly 18 stood up, Chi-chi eyes her up and down, which was extremely nerve racking for 18.

"You are 18?" she asked, very displeased.

"Yes," replied 18 firmly "I am. What is it to you anyway?".

Chi-chi groaned. Great, she had an attitude, oh well, not to worry, a few weeks of working for her would set her straight, and if it didn't, well she would just beat some respect into her. "Well then, come with me and we'll get you ready". Chi-chi walked off

18 turned to face her brother, she was scared and he could see it. He stood up and gave her another hug. "Just ok with her and do what she says, it'll be okay" he said.

"Thank you 17" she said.

"NOW 18!" came Chi-chi's angry cry.

"I'll see you later," said 18, "it was nice to meet you both" she said to Tarie and Kori. Then she turned and quickly made her way to the door, towards her future.

***

A/N: Well that's the end of this chap. School starts tomorrow '__' But I will try to update again soon ok. Remember, please review, or I'll think you don't like this anymore and then I won't update. ~D.B 


	3. Nison, who's that?

Disclaimer; Do I own DBZ? Read on to find out......

A/N; Here is Chapter 2 of my fic. I really am very sorry for the slow update, but I have been SO busy lately I have hardly had time to sleep let alone go o the p.c. Thank's to everyone who's reviewed this fic so far. I know it starts off a little slow, but trust me, it gets better. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 2

A week, one long week she had been doing this and she felt ready to die, she had no idea how 17 and his friends had survived so long. She had cleaned Madam Chi-chi's room so many times now, she felt she knew it better than Chi-chi herself and she knew that she messed it up on purpose so 18 would have to clean it again.

18 sighed, she really didn't get along with Chi-chi at all, they both had their own fiery personalities and they clashed every time they met. 18 picked up a shoe and threw it as hard as she could at the wall, but she was weak from lack of food, so all it did was make a loud bang and fall to the ground with a thud.

She set about cleaning the room, which was the size of a small house. But a few minutes later the door slammed open and Vegeta came storming in.

"You sisters not here" said 18 without ever looking up.

"I'm not looking for my sister." Vegeta snarled, he grabbed 18's collar and hauled her up off the ground "next time I hear a single sound come out of this room while you're in here, I won't hesitate to kill you. It's that clear?". 18 thought about spitting in his face but then decided against it "Yes prince Vegeta" she said. He threw her across the room, where she slammed into the other wall, the resounding bang left a ringing sound in her ears and stars in front of her eyes. The last thing 18 saw before she slipped into unconscious was Vegeta storming out the room.

***

"Daddy, are you listening to me?" screamed Chi-chi, her face was nearly as red as the dress she was wearing. King Vegeta rubbed his temples and sighed, he loved his only daughter with all his heart, but sometimes she was just too much to handle.

"Chi-chi, just hear me out. It is vital that you at least meet him, we are in talks with his parents and this could be the last step in closing the deal. He really is a very nice young man"

Chi-chi was quickly becoming infuriated, she did not want to be forced into this, she had gotten everything her way her whole life and now was going to be no different. "No, I'm not doing it" she said and she stormed out of the throne room.

She ran into Bulma and her father in the hall.

"Chi" called out Bulma. Chi-chi stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face her friend. "What?" she asked, Bulma jumped at her friend's tone, she was obviously in a bad mood.

"Man girl. What's up your arse?".

"Nothing" said Chi-chi. Bulma rolled her eyes, said goodbye to her dad and walked over to Chi-chi.

"You need some cake" she said, and she lead her friends into the kitchen.

Bulma and Chi-chi sat down at the table and Bulma asked the cook for two pieces of cake. Almost straight away it was there.

"So are you going to tell me what got you so mad?" asked Bulma.

"Daddy wants me to meet a boy," replied Chi-chi, she – unlike Bulma – had never really been into boys. "He's the son of some rich snobby family and I don't want to meet him".

"He could be really sweet" said Bulma.

"Or he could be a complete jackass" said Chi-chi

"Just like you" said Vegeta as he came into the kitchen.

"Shut up Vegeta" growled Chi-chi.

"Make me" said Vegeta, then he asked the cook for some cake.

"You want some cake Vegeta?," asked Chi-chi and she stood up and walked over to him, "Then have some cake" she shoved her cake in Vegeta's face then stormed out the room.

"Are you ok Vegeta?" asked Bulma as she threw him a towel

"Of course I'm ok bluey, it was just cake". Bulma rolled her eyes and groaned, he was such a jerk some times, but she had grown up with him and she knew how to deal with him.

"You suck Vegeta" she said and she simply walked out the room to find Chi-chi

Vegeta grumbled something to himself then went to go and find his father.

***

18 groaned and rolled over.

"Good, you're awake" spoke an unknown voice. Slowly 18 opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Where the hell am I?" she mumbled, her head was throbbing and the amount of light streaming in through the window wasn't helping, she fell back onto the pillow and pulled the covers over her head. 'Hang on' she thought 'pillow? Covers? That wasn't right" she sat back up again and took another good look around. She was most definitely not in the slave quarters. Her vision was a little fuzzy but she could see a person walking around the room, they were making there way over to her.

"Lie back down and rest" the male voice said and 18 felt compelled to do as he said.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Your in my room, I'm Krillen". Krillen, 18 couldn't work out why that name sounded familiar to her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Chi-chi and Vegeta's little brother". 18 sat up fast, completely ignoring the extreme dizziness that was invading her head she got up and ran out the room. She almost ran straight into Vegeta in the hall. Vegeta smirked and changed his course.

"So Krillen, you finale got some with the slave chick, eh?" Vegeta asked.

"No," Krillen spat back, "you knocked her out so I brought her back here to rest".

"You know what Krillen? You're so pitiful that I actually believe that. I have no idea how you could even be a sayian, let alone a royal" with that Vegeta disappeared from the doorway.

Krillen slammed the door shut and went to go take a shower.

***

18 ran and ran and ran until she arrived back at the slave quarters, she burst into room and instantly set about looking for her brother, she found him in the last room she looked, sleeping on a pile of hay.

"17 wake up" she said as she kneeled down next to him. Slowly he opened his eyes.

"What's wrong 18?," he asked, then he noticed the dark lump on the side of her head "Who the hell did that?"

"It's ok, I'll be alright" said 18.

No," said 17 "tell me who did it". 

"I t was the prince, Vegeta" said 18 quietly. 17 grumbled and sat up, he pushed 18's hair of her face to see the full extent of her bruising. "What did he do?" he asked.

"He threw me into the wall" replied 18. 17 got 18 to sit down where he had been then he walked out the room, when he came back there was another man with him, 18 hadn't seen him before.

When he got closer 18 could see he had a greenish tinge to his skin.

"This is Nison, he's half Namek, he'll make that bruise all better for you" said 17. Nison waved sheepishly then knelled down in front of 18. He had short black hair and what looked to be antennas.

"Hi" he said. 18 smiled "Hi" she replied.

Nison put his hand to 18's head and before long the bruise disappeared. 

"Thank-you" said 18 as she stood up. Nison stood up and held out his hand, 18 shook it. "Anytime" he said and he walked off.

***

Vegeta was in the throne room with his father when Chi-chi came storming in.

"What the hell do you want?" snapped Vegeta, he was still mad at his sister over the cake incident.

"I want to talk to daddy about my birthday party". King Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Can't it wait until later? You're brother and I have more important things to discuss".

"But daddy..." began Chi-chi

"No Chi-chi. I am not willing to discuss you party until you at least meet the son's boy" said the king. Chi-chi nearly screamed, but instead she muttered some cusses under her breath and left the room. 

"So what do you think son?" asked the king. Vegeta sighed and looked at his father, "I don't know?," he said, "I really don't know. It's very risky, but I suppose if we got the right men for the job it could be done".

"Yes. But the Hartrops are among some of our greatest allies, and to destroy their entire empire would most likely cause all other races in our allegiance to betray us" said the king.

"Vegeta stood up and looked at his father, "But if lord Frieza has ordered us to do it, what other choice do we have?" he asked, then he left the room.

A little while later Chi-chi returned.

"Ok Chi-chi, I will speak to you now" said the king

"I have been thinking about my party" began Chi-chi, but the king cut her off. "I told you already, not until you meet the son boy" he said.

"I know daddy, that what I wanted to talk to you about," said Chi-chi, "How about I meet him, at the party" she suggested. The king was quiet for a few minutes while he thought over Chi-chi's idea. In the end he looked at his only daughter and smiled "Ok then. That seems like a fair deal". Chi-chi leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek, "Thanks daddy" she said and she left.

King Vegeta watched her go, shaking his head in amazement. He loved his only daughter dearly, but sometimes it just amazed him how down right horrible and obnoxious she could be, he smirked, he had taught her well. And Vegeta, he was extremely proud of his eldest son, he was shaping into a fine young man, he would do the planet of Vegeta proud when it was his time to reign. Then there was Krillen, king Vegeta wasn't really sure where he had gone wrong with his youngest child, the king sighed, he must have taken after his mother. Although, he thought that when Lumie, his wife, had passed on, that Krillen would have toughened up so he could live up to his title as prince of the Sayians, but alas he had not. And Lumie had been dead nearly 7 years now. 

Vegeta and Chi-chi didn't get along with Krillen and the king knew it, thought he could hardly blame them, they were all so different. In the beginning the king had tried to make his 3 children get along but all his attempts had failed, so in the end he had just given up. On the condition that if his two eldest children were going to behave like that, they were NOT, to harm him, he was after all, their little brother whether they like it or not.

The king stood up and stretched his hands up towards the ceiling, he had been sitting all day long, and he was looking forward to a nice relaxing bath before dinner.. All he ever seemed to do these days was have meeting about the Sayian allegiance. Something was not right at the moment, he knew something bad was about to happen and he bet any money that it would somehow involve the self-proclaimed 'lord of the universe' Frieza. King Vegeta grumbled and left the throne room, heading towards the royal family's private quarters.

Whatever Frieza was planning, he would be ready, he wasn't about to let his family or his people down. 

***

The table was a long brown one, and it was adorned with just about every king of food imaginable, and yet, in about 20 minutes all that would remain would be a few bones and scraps. The cooks had slaved away all afternoon to prepare the evening's meal, they did so every day. Yet they never even received a simple thank-you, it was amazing they hadn't poisoned the food yet, although no one would be shocked if they did. The palace servants were known not only in the palace, but also throughout the whole planet, as being the most lowly, rude, un-hygienic people on the planet and they were regarded with little to no respect, and it was the royals fault they had the reputation they did.

Currently the dining room was empty, the king and his children had not yet arrived, but they would soon. Just then, as if on cue, the big dark oak doors were pushed open, the maids who were serving as waitresses tonight breathed a sigh of relief when they saw who it was.

Krillen sat down at the table, pulled his chair in and began to twiddle his thumbs. He was still thinking about the girl from earlier that day, she was so beautiful, albeit extremely thin from lack of food and he didn't even know her name. But as hard as he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about her eyes, they were crystal blue, without a doubt the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

The young prince was torn away from his thoughts by the voices of his brother and sister as they entered the dining room, they didn't even realise her was there. Chi-chi and Vegeta took their seats across the table, continuing their conversation, Krillen didn't care what it was about anyway, probably just more mean trick to play on him or ways to embarrass him. He sighed, Krillen was 18 years old, you would think after 18 years they would have run out of mean thing to do to him. But oh no, not his siblings, they had a new prank to play every day of the week.

The king walked into the room then, Vegeta, Chi-chi and Krillen stood up to greet him and the meal was served soon after.

***

A/N; Well that's the end of this chapter. Poor Veggie got cake on his head. And as for the disclaimer at the top. I DON'T OWN DBZ.

Until next time. Read and Review please.

~D.B


	4. Party Preparations

Disclaimer; Yeah. I wish I owned DBZ. That would be so sweet (Starts to drool at the thought of owning DBZ). People reading disclaimer slow back away

A/N; Hey cool, Chapter 3. Well I wanna say thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, you guys are great. I really wasn't too sure about posting this, it's way far out of my usual K/18 comfort zone, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. So thanks heaps for reviewing this so far. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 3

17 growled angrily "Dammit, this is really pissing me off"

Nison looked up at his friend and tried not to laugh "Calm down there buddy, you'll give yourself heart failure". He grumbled again, as he threw a spanner to the ground, "I'm a cyborg, that can't happen". Nison looked up again, 17 usually tried to deny that fact as much as possible, he must have been extremely ticked off to let that slip, "Fine then," said Nison "you'll blow a circuit". 17 stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend.

"Don't even think about it" said Nison, knowing exactly what 17 was about to say.

"We're never going to get this done, and I still got about 100 other things to do before the party tonight" said 17

17 and Nison had been told to fix the lawn mower, and neither the cyborg boy nor the half Namekian boy were any good at fixing broken stuff.

"I think one of us is going to have to get Kori out here" thought Nison out loud.

"That's a good idea, off you go" said 17 as he layed down on the grass.

"Nu-uh, I went last time" said Nison.

"Fine," said 17 as he sat back up "I'll play ya for it".

"Paper, scissors, rock!" both guys chanted at the same time.

"Ha, you loose," shouted Nison "scissors cut paper"

"Damn you" said 17 and he got up and walked back inside the palace. Nison fell back against the grass and laughed. The power of telepathy really came in handy sometimes.

***

Kori and Tarie were in the main entrance to the place. It was where some 8000 guests would be arriving for Chi-chi's birthday party tonight and they wouldn't just be from planet Vegeta, and they were expected to scrub every section of wall and every last tile until the whole room was spotless, and it was a big room!

"Taire, did you hear what Clover was saying about you last night?" asked Kori. Taire stopped scrubbing and looked up "Yep," she said, "But at least she talks to people"

"What do you mean?" asked Kori.

"I mean 17's sister. I have tried to talk to her heaps of times, but she just won't pay any attention to me. She only ever talks to 17 and Astrid" replied Taire. Kori stopped scrubbing all together then, she put her sponge on the ground and looked over at her friend, she had gotten interested in this conversation. It was totally true. The only people 18 spoke to were 17 and Astrid, beside those two, the only other people she had ever seen the pretty blonde girl talk to was Nison, 17's best friends.

Kori knew that 18 had spent most of her life in the harem, and she had only been out for 3 weeks. She also knew that life in the harem was hard and that only the girls strong in body and mind would survive it, 18 had to be tough to stay in there for as long as she had been and it must have made her very world-weary. But 18 possessed no social skills what so ever, and sometimes it worried Kori.

"I think she just needs some more time to adjust, it's a big change from the harem, they have showers and food there" said Kori

"Yeah, well I still think she's rude" said Tarie, she was around the same age as the twins, they were 18 years old and she had just turned 19.

17 came into the room soon after, if he had been a few minutes earlier he would have heard Kori and Tarie talking about his sister.

"17 stop right there!," shouted Tarie before 17 was even off the big mat "the floor's still wet".

"Ok," said 17 "Kori we need your help". Kori looked across at her friend, she looked annoyed that 17 needed her yet again. "What for this time?" she asked.

"Can you go and give Nison a hand with the lawn mower. I'll take over here until you get back" replied 17.

"Fine" said Kori and she threw the wet sponge at 17.

***

18 placed her hands on her hips and looked at her sheet on the wall. All the slaves were on party duty today, none of them were to be serving the regular masters but they were all to help set up for the party that night. 18 had already completed her first two tasks and now she was checking up on her next job. She had to go and help she the tables for the banquet. So she turned at left for the grand hall.

When she arrived she almost died of shock. There were hundreds of tables scatted about, some were round, some were square and there were a few long rectangle ones. On the big blank wall there was an image coming from the over head projector, it was what the room was supposed to look like by tonight. Even thought there were already about 50 or 60 other people working on there was no way it would get done, the would have to work 10 times harder than normal. 18 sighed and set to work, throwing pristine white tablecloths over the tables and arranging chairs around them. Then she had to set out all the silverware and all the glasses.

"Hey 18" some one called to her after about an hour on the job. 18 looked up and saw Nison, one of her only friends, save her brother and Astrid.

"You in here to?" she asked.

"Ah no, I've come to get him" said Nison pointing to a guy with bright orange hair.

"Are you going to fix that mess on his head?" asked 18. That made Nison laugh. "No, your brother need his help for a second" he replied, it was strange for 17 to ask for anyone's help, and so far today he had needed assistance twice.

"My brother?" asked 18

"Yep" said Nison, 18 smiled, it was one of the only times she had, and Nison noticed just how pretty she was. "Tell him I said hi"

"I will" said Nison and he got the guy with orange hair and left the room. 18 shook her head and got back to work.

***

"Bulma will you hurry up?" asked Chi-chi as she flipped through one of Bulma magazines. The two girls were in Bulmas room at her house in the staff quarters of the palace, the house was like a large apartment, with 3 bedrooms. The 2 girls were rummaging through Bulma's huge clothing collection in search of something to wear to Chi-chi's party that night.

"Exactly what type of party is this, Chi?" asked Bulma.

"Well it's a formal type dinner thing with all the important people my dad had to invite, you know, the people from the dumb allegiance. Then there's gonna be a huge party with everyone I wanted to invite" said Chi-chi.

"Ok" said Bulma and she pulled out a slinky black dress that went all the way to the ground. "What about this?" she asked. Chi-chi looked up from the magazine.

"It'll be fine for the dinner, I'm wearing something else under my dress so I won't have to come back and change after" she said.

"That's a good idea" said Bulma and she disappeared back into the cupboard. Chi-chi rolled her eyes and went back to reading.

A few minutes later Bulma re-emerged holding a denim mini skirt and a black halter neck top that would go great with her new black shoes. Then she went into the bathroom to go and change.

Chi-chi looked up at the clock on Bulma's wall and almost had a heart attack.

"Bulma I gotta go, I'll see ya in a bit ok". She didn't even let Bulma reply before she had gone.

She arrived back at her room huffing and puffing, she could hear moaning coming out of Vegeta's room. She shuddered and unlocked her door, and went inside. Once she had stripped down to her underwear she pulled on a silky black mini skirt and a blood red tank top that was also made of silk. Then she put on her dress for the dinner, it was a long red dress that hugged all her curves perfectly. She pulled on her shoes and headed off down the hall to get her hair and make up done.

*** 

18 sighed and wiped her face with the back of her hand, which resulted in a big, dirty black smudge running across her cheek. She had finished setting up for the dinner hours ago and now she had just finished cleaning up the area where Chi-chi would be having her own party, it was a big out side patio, with a pool and everything. 18's job had been to sweep and just generally tidy up, it had proved to be messier than she first though. But she was finished now and she was heading back to the slave quarters, looking forward to what she felt was a well-earned rest.

But when she got there she found a surprise, there were some crates in the main room, 18 counted 6 in all. All the others were digging around in the boxes and pulling out things. 18 spotted her brother and Nison on the other side of the room and pushed her way through the crowd to get to them.

"17, what's going on?" she asked. 17 held up a pair of new black slacks and a proper white shirt. "This is what we have to wear tonight" he said.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah," said Nison "we have to be the waiters and waitress. Didn't you know that?" he asked. 18 shook her head, "no" she said. Then she went to go and find what she had to wear. Eventually 18 found the bag with her name on it. She pulled everything out, she was disgusted at what she had to wear. It looked like a French maid outfit, with a short black pinafore and a tight white short sleeved shirt underneath. But she pulled it on anyway, she was glad to be wearing something new.

"What do you think 17?" she asked her twin.

"You need to brush your hair" said 17 and he threw a hairbrush at his sister. 18 was overjoyed to be able to brush her hair for the first time in nearly a month, it took nearly half an hour to get all the knots out but it was worth it, it felt terrific to have brushed hair. There was no way she was giving the brush back, they would have to pry it out her cold dead hands before they got it.

"18," called Nison from the door, he was the only person left now "let's go". 18 blinked a few times and followed him out the room.

***

Krillen grumbled and clicked the button on the remote to turn the t.v off, then he rolled off his bed and headed for the cupboard. He really didn't want to go to his stupid sister's stupid birthday party, but he was being forced. He pulled on his black tux and brushed his black hair down so it looked half ok, his hair always had been wild and unruly. Then he grabbed his crown off the top shelf and blew all the dust off it. God, he hated that thing, it was horrible and it just made him look stupid. He didn't like being royal, he didn't like people knowing he was, he didn't even like being sayian. Krillen wasn't like normal Sayians, they all loved to destroy things and wipe out other races, but not Krillen. He was perfectly happy just being who he was, he preferred to help others and be kind to them rather than blasting a ki hole through them when they weren't looking. He just wished he wasn't the only one.

It wasn't long before his thoughts drifted back to the blonde girl, he hadn't seen her for nearly a week, although Chi-Chi assured him that she wasn't dead, Krillen wasn't sure if he could trust his big sister or not though. He had tried to feel her ki signature several times now, but each time he failed. That could only mean two things. 1: she constantly suppressed it to the point where no one could feel it or 2: She was dead. He certainly hoped it wasn't latter. But he didn't know why she would keep her ki down all the time; it didn't make sense to him.

Krillen was torn away from his thoughts by the sound of someone banging on the door. He grabbed hold of his tail, which was waving around like crazy, he hadn't even realised he was causing that to happen, and he wrapped it firmly around his waist. Then he went to open the door. It was Vegeta on the other side.

"I've been sent to get you. Let's go" he said angrily then he turned and left. Krillen grabbed his door key and locked it, then he shoved the key in his pocket and followed Vegeta to the hall.

***

"Wow Chi, look at all these people" said Bulma in total awe of everyone arriving. The guests from other planets were especially odd. They were all different colours and they all had different numbers of eyes or arms. Some were actually quite scary looking. But they all belonged to the Sayian allegiance, so the king had felt it mandatory to invite them.

"Chi-chi, I want you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Son, their boy Kakkarot should be along shortly and their other two sons are inside already" said the king.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Chi-chi" Chi-chi introduced herself, and then she elbowed Bulma in the side.

"And I'm Bulma" she quickly added

"It's a pleasure to meet both you lovely ladies. I'm Bardok and this is my wife Neha" said Bardok. He was a model Sayian with spiky black hair that was in total disarray and perfectly sculpted muscles, he had scar on his face, and big black eyes, and his tail was swaying back and fourth happily. Neha was beautiful; she had long smooth black hair that was a lot like Chi-chi's, and black eyes as well, her fluffy brown tail was acting as a belt tonight. She was dressed in a pretty midnight blue evening gown that fell all the way to the ground.

"Ah, here is our son now. Kakkarot, this is the princess we've been telling you about, Chi-chi". Boy crazy Bulma's eyes almost popped right out her head, this guy was gorgeous, there was no other way to describe it. He was the splitting image of his father, only 20 years younger and minus the scar. He was dressed in a black tux and like his fathers his tail was hanging freely.

"Hi, I'm Kakkarot, it's nice to meet you Chi-chi," he said, then he took hold of her hand and lightly kissed the back of it "I believe my parents are friends with your parents".

"My father, my mother died a long time ago" said Chi-chi.

"I'm sorry to hear that" said Kakkarot.

"Kakkarot, let's go, Chi-chi still has more guests to greet" said Neha.

"Bye and happy birthday" said Kakkarot, then he followed his parents into the hall to be seated.

"Oh my god," said Bulma once he had disappeared from view "he was gorgeous"

"He was ok," said Chi-chi "I honestly don't know what you see in boys, they are all the same if you ask me"

"Well I didn't ask you did I" said Bulma, as another couple made their way into the palace. Chi-chi and Bulma put on their most polite faces and greeted them kindly.

***

18 was sitting on the ground in between her brother and Nison, all the help for the evening had been told to wait in a tiny little room that was just off the kitchen, they could hear the voices of all the guests out in the hall. 18 could hear her brothers stomach grumbling and she put her hand on his stomach.

"Shut up" she told it.

"Sorry," said 17, "but I haven't eaten since yesterday morning"

"Well neither have I but do you hear my stomach making noises"

"What stomach?" asked Nison "your so thin if you turned sideways we wouldn't be able to see you".

"Shut up Nison, it's not my fault I'm thin". 18 scowled, she knew she was thin. Ever since she came out the Harem she had been loosing weight rapidly, but even then she had been thin, weighing in at 50 kilos, she had now dropped to 43, she was a stick. But she wasn't the worst. There were many girls who were even thinner than she was, take Tarie for instance, it was amazing she was still alive.

The door was opened up then and one of the cooks looked in, "You can start preparing to serve dinner now" he said. So they all stood up and went into the kitchen. About 20 minutes later dinner was ready to be served. All the people serving took 2 plates each and went out into the hall to start serving.

***

The hall was huge, 18 had seen it earlier that day when she had been setting up the tables, and now it looked like a totally different room. 18 took her plates over to the table where the royal family was seated and placed one in front of the king and one in front of Chi-chi, then she went to go and get some more, she gave the next 2 to Krillen and Vegeta.

"Thank-you very much" said Krillen. 18 looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Why the hell would he be talking to her, it was even stranger that he was thanking her.

"Whatever" 18 muttered to herself and she headed back to the kitchen

Soon everyone had their meal, or in the case of the Sayians 3 or 4. The room was full of chatter and the noises of cutlery banging against the plates. Every time a hand went up into the air some one – whoever was closest – would rush over and fill their cup up with more wine. And it just so happened that when Vegeta's hand went up 18 was closet. Since she was on strict orders from the king to be 'polite and orderly' the whole night, she had no other choice but to go to him and pretend she liked him.

"Can I refill your glass prince Vegeta?" she asked in her nicest possible tone of voice, but it was hard to be nice to someone when you hated them with a passion.

"I wouldn't have called you over here if I didn't want you to," said Vegeta "Imbecile" 

"Vegeta!," scolded Krillen "she didn't do anything wrong". 18 blinked in confusion. Why was this guy sticking up for her? He was wired. He clearly out classed her in every way, yet here he was telling Vegeta to stop being a jerk to her. 18 remembered that day she had woken up in his room, she had been so mad at him, she still was, she didn't need Krillen or anyone else to look after her, she was perfectly capable of doing that on her own. She quickly poured Vegeta's drink and scowled at Krillen, then she turned and walked of.

"Good one Krillen, you pissed 18 off. I'm proud of you" said Chi-chi

"18, so that's her name huh?" Krillen thought to himself, he smiled slyly and turned his attention back to his meal.

***

A little later on King Vegeta stood up and tapped his glass with his fork, everyone in the room fell silent to listen to what he had to say.

"Good evening everyone. Firstly I would like to thank you all for coming along tonight. I would also like to say a special thank-you to out inter-planetary visitors for making the long journey to our planet." The king stopped and looked down at Chi-chi, she looked board as hell. "What I really wanted to say, was happy 20th birthday to Chi-chi. I'm very proud of my only daughter, she had grown up into a beautiful and powerful sayian, and I love her very much. Well Chi-chi, now that you are only 1 year of your coming of age you will have some more responsibilities around the palace and even some of the day to day affairs of the planet," said the king, Chi-chi's eyes grew wide, she didn't want responsibilities! "So enjoy your party darling, both I and your brothers and everyone else hope you have a great night". There was a round of applause, and the king sat down, conversations resumed shortly after.

Bulma stood up and walked over to Chi-chi's table, Chi-chi looked like she was falling asleep and Bulma was going to rescue her.

"Chi-chi, why don't you come over to Kakkarot's table with me" she suggested.

"Ok" Chi-chi replied almost instantly, she desperately needed to stretch her legs.

They walked across the room to the son's table.

"Chi-chi, hello" greeted Neha.

"Hello again" said Chi-chi.

"Hi Chi-chi" Chi-chi blinked in confusion, was that Kakkarot, or was it the boy sitting beside him that looked exactly the same. Bulma was in much the same state. The real Kakkarot laughed and stood up.

"It's me, Kakkarot. This is my brother Tules and this is my other brother Radditz" said Kakkarot, motioning to the Kakkarot look-a-like and another boy, who had very long black hair, he looked several years older than the other two boys did.

"Hello" said Chi-chi

"Hi," said Bulma. "Is there anyway to tell you two apart?" she asked

"Yeah" said Tules, "My skin's a little darker than his". Bulma squinted her eyes and looked at them closely, "Oh yeah!" she remarked.

"So Chi-chi, how does it feel to be 20?" asked Bardok.

"The same as being 19" replied Chi-chi. Bardok laughed and took a sip of his wine.

"What's it like being the princess of this fine planet of ours?" he asked.

"It's good, much better than being a peasant" said Chi-chi

"Yes, but the peasants are actually friendly people, they have lots of interesting stories to tell" interrupted Kakkarot.

"Really? I wouldn't know, I don't get out much"

"I'd be happy to take you into town sometime if you'd like". Chi-chi looked at Kakkarot in complete and utter confusion, how could this boy be so dumb, he was 24, the same age as Vegeta and he had managed to turn her insult into a date offer. 'Oh well' thought Chi-chi to herself, she may as well make her father happy and take her up on his silly offer and meet up with his silly peasant friends. Chi-chi shuddered, peasants, the lowliest form of free people on the planet. The palace was constantly dealing with peasants, they were always stealing things from market stalls, in was beyond Chi-chi way they couldn't just get some cash and buy what the wanted instead. But like she said before, she didn't get out much.

"Ok, I'll go to town with you sometime", she said

Kakkarot's face lit up "Great, how about sometime next week". 'That soon' thought Chi-chi, "Ok then," she said "Give me a call sometime and I'll see if I'm available" Kakkarot shook his head and Chi-chi and Bulma turned and walked out to the terrace.

"Oh my god," said Bulma, "Can you believe he has a twin. I thought one was good, but 2! I think I'm gonna pass out" said Bulma.

"Calm down Bulma," said Chi-chi "their not that great"

"Are you insane Chi. And I can't believe you got a date with one of them"

"You don't actually think I'm going, do you?" asked Chi-chi sceptically.

"Of you are going" said Bulma

"Give me two good reasons why I should"

"Ok," said Bulma "1: That guy is hot! And 2: your dad will kill you if you blow him off" Chi-chi sighed, "I guess so" she said.

"So then, I guess now you've seen the twins, you're over my brother" said Chi-chi. Bulma gasped, pretending to be offended, "I was never on your brother," she said, "I've told you a million times I don't like Vegeta"

"And I've told you a million times I don't believe you!"

***

A/N; Well there you have it, part 3 is done. I'll try to have part four out soonest. (Is soonest even a word? I've been listening to Tarkan too much).

PLEASE REVIEW. No reviews = No update

~D.B


	5. Party Time

Disclaimer; Nup. Still don't own it.

A/N; Oh my gosh. I am so sorry for not updating sooner. But I have just been so busy lately. And it's almost the end of the school year so the teachers are giving up loads of homework. And I've also been busy with all my sport and what not. Ag, I really am sorry. But it's here now. So please R/R ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 4

The party was in full swing. It was nearly 2.30am, but Chi-chi's party showed no signs of slowing anytime soon. The music was booming from the speakers at full ball and the dance floor was full. And right in the center of it all were Bulma and Chi-chi. Bulma, who had had a few too many drinks, was hanging of Tules and Chi-chi was watching her friend make a total idiot out of herself and laughing like a maniac.

She glanced over to the far side of the room, Kakkarot was standing at the bar, holding a glass of something, but from the simple fact that he was still standing, she was guessing it wasn't alcoholic.

She could see Vegeta as well, he was also, still sober, only he, Kakkarot and a handful of others in the room were actually old enough to drink, but that wasn't stopping anyone else.

To drink on planet Vegeta you were supposed to be officially of age, 21, and you should have received your 'coming of age' certificate from the king. Yeah, like that was gonna happen.

Bulma walked – or stumbled – over to Chi-chi and nearly fell over, but Chi-chi caught her best friend before she hit the ground. Bulma slurred out something, but even if it had been understandable, the music was too loud to hear her anyway. Chi-chi handed her half-full bottle to one of the waitresses who was passing by on her way back to the kitchen and helped her friend up.

"I think you may have had a little to much to drink B" she said, more to herself than anyone else, she was glad she had a stronger stomach than Bulma did. She put one arm around Bulmas waist and helped her off the dance floor.

"You stink Bulma" scoffed Chi-chi. Once again, Bulma mumbled out something. Chi-chi groaned, she didn't want to leave her own party to look after her friend, she was having such a great time.

"Give her here" came a gruff voice. Chi-chi looked up and saw her brother.

"Take her" said Chi-chi rudely. Vegeta looked at his little sister, she was such a bitch, always rude to everyone she came across and always putting herself first.

Vegeta took Bulma off Chi-chi and looked at her, she either passed out, or fallen asleep and judging by the volume of the music, she hadn't fallen asleep. He scooped her up and carried her in of the patio.

Chi-chi rolled her eyes and headed back into the swarm of people to find someone to dance with.

***

18 walked into the kitchen and dropped Chi-chi's bottle into the bin. All the cooks had gone back to the staff quarter's hours ago, so now 18 and the other slaves were in the kitchen, serving drinks, and light snacks that the cooks had left in the fridge.

17 was sitting on the bench talking to a girl with long green hair, she was pretty sure her name was Jade, but she'd never actually talked to her before. 17 spotted his sister and excused himself from his conversation.

"Do you know every single slave in this damn palace?" asked 18

"Pretty much, you gotta remember, I grew up with these people" 17 replied.

"I guess." said 18, her whole life, she had never had many friends. There were other kids in the village she and 17 had lived in for the first 11 years of their life, but their father had forbidden them to talk to them, they had only ever had each other then. And once 18 was put in the Harem, well there was about 10 other girls in there, but in the Harem, no one really talked to anyone else and that was they way they had liked it. They had spent all their spare time prettying themselves up for their next client, because it was always a case of the better you looked, the less harsh they'd be on you.

"18. Hey 18, are you still in there?" asked 17. 18 blinked and looked at her brother, she hadn't even realised she had tuned out into her own little world

"Yeah, I'm back" she said, still a little dazed. She rubbed sleepily at her eyes, it was 2.40 in the morning and 18 was almost asleep standing up. She was praying that Chi-chi would get board and end her dumb party soon.

All of a sudden there was a loud explosion outside and then the doors to the kitchen burst open and Nison came crashing through, he slammed into the stainless steal counter and fell to the ground. Both 17 and 18 gasped and rushed over to him.

"Are you ok?" asked 17 as he began to check for broken bones. Nison opened his eyes and moaned an 'ouch' but he managed to say "I'm ok, I'll be fine"

"What the hell happened?" asked 18 as she brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"I dropped a plate full of food cause some jackass purposely tripped me. The stupid princess didn't like that. First she tried to blow me up, but I jumped out the way, so she settled for throwing me in here instead" explained Nison, he winced when 18 touched his side, she lifted up his top to reveal a dark red burn mark.

"I don't think you jumped far enough" she said

"I didn't think I did". 17 stood up and wiped his hands together "Oh well, come on 18, let's get back to work". 18 looked up at her brother in shock. And she thought she was cold. 17 saw the look on his sister's face and decided he better explain before he ended up like Nison.

"Do you forget? Nison is half Namek, he can heal himself. God, you really are blonde aren't you". That made 18 mad, she stood up and slapped her brother hard, across the cheek then she stormed out the room to collect some more rubbish from the party.

***

Vegeta wandered around the staff quarters of the palace with Bulma in his arms looking for her parents apartment. Dr.Briefs was the planets top scientist, so it was no wonder that the king had hired him many years ago to work in his lab. And from what Vegeta had heard Bulma was quite the technological genius as well. He finally found the door marked Briefs, and being carefully not to drop Bulma, he knocked and waited for someone to answer.

A few minutes later the door opened and a very sleepy woman appeared in the doorway, she was tying her dressing gown cord.

"Oh my god. Bulma!" she screamed when she saw Bulma passed out in Vegeta's arms.

"It's ok miss," Vegeta reassured the frantic mother "she's fine, she's just had to much to drink that's all". Mrs.Briefs calmed down considerably then. Unlike Chi-chi, Bulma was already of age, she had turned 21 about 3 months ago.

"Bring her this way" said Mrs.Briefs as she led Vegeta to Bulma's room. Mr.Briefs came out of his bedroom and looked at Vegeta sleepily 

"It's ok honey," said Mrs.Briefs "Go back to bed". Mr.Briefs shrugged his shoulders and disappeared back into the room.

"Ok, just put her down in there" said Mrs.Briefs. Vegeta did as he was told, he gently layed Bulma down on the bed and covered her up with the bright pink covers. Then he left, saying a quick goodnight to Mrs.Briefs, he decided to head back to Chi-chi's party for a while longer, to him, it was still pretty early.

It wasn't until about 5 minutes later that Mrs.Briefs realised she had been talking to Prince Vegeta himself.

***

Krillen moaned and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head as he did so. There was no way he was going to Chi-chi's party, after the banquet had ended he had headed straight back to his room, he had stood out on the balcony for a bit, looking out over the palace walls at the city below. Krillen liked to go into the town, but he didn't get to do it very often. After a while he got cold so he had headed back inside and climbed into bed, which was where he was now. And even though Chi-chi's party was taking place all most at the other end of the palace, he could still hear the music. He had to admit though, the song that was playing at the moment wasn't to bad. He'd heard it before, but he didn't know what it was.

All of a sudden Krillen sat up and threw his pillow at the wall, he obviously wasn't going to get any sleep any time soon, so he decided to go and get something to eat instead. He hopped out of bed and pulled a pair of sweat pants on over his boxer's shorts, then he grabbed an old tee shirt out the draw and headed down towards the kitchen.

***

"Are you sure you're ok now Nison?" asked 18 as she landed back on the ground, she placed the bottle she had just got on the bench and turned to look at Nison.

"Yes 18, I'm sure" replied Nison and he took the bottle and walked out the kitchen. Just as he walked out, 17 walked in, he still had a nice red slap mark on his face.

"18," he said as he approached his sister "I'm sorry about what I said". 18 raised an eyebrow at him sceptically "so you should be" she said.

"Am I forgiven?" asked 17

"I suppose. But next time you insult me, a slap won't be your only punishment. I'm a lot tougher than you think, brother" replied 18 and she walked out the kitchen.

17 stood there for a few minutes, just thinking about stuff, mainly about how much his sister had changed since she was 11, back then she had been a scared little girl, who was attached to their 'mama' as 18 had called her. But she had been murdered right in front of their very eyes. Now 18 was different, all the years of being used as a sex slave in the harem and made her extremely hard and cynical. She very rarely spoke to anyone anymore, and when she did, it was usually only to insult them, the only people she ever actually spoke politely to were Nison and himself. 17 shuddered, his sister behaved remarkably like prince Vegeta, he was a cold-hearted jerk as well.

17 was snapped out of his thought by the sound of the back door to the kitchen opening, he turned to see who it was and quickly turned back again. It was the prince, the really short one. Dammit, what was his name again? Krillen! That's it. It was prince Krillen. But from the way he was dressed he certainly didn't look like a prince, he looked more like he was the help, he was dress in a pair of black sweat pants and a baggy old blue tee-shirt.

Krillen looked around the kitchen and spotted 17. "Um excuse me" he said. 17 turned to look at him.

"Yes prince Krillen?" he asked - as he bowed of course. Krillen laughed, "there's no need to do that," he said, "Do you know where the bread is?" he asked. 17 rolled his eyes and went to the pantry, he grabbed the loaf of bread and placed it on the bench top, then he set about gathering the ingredients for a sandwich.

"Oh that's ok," said Krillen once he realised what 17 was doing "I can make it myself". 17 looked up, he was confused, royalty didn't do things for themselves, they were too lazy. But prince Krillen had told him not to, so he didn't, he put the knife down and walked over to the other side of the room.

***

Outside, Chi-chi's party was finally starting to wind down, 18 breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed more and more people heading towards their transport home. There were however, still a considerable amount of people in party mode, and Chi-chi was one of them.

Chi-chi was standing right up the front of the room, flirting with the D.J. even 18 knew that Chi-chi was not into boys, she had better things to waste her time on, like killing her slaves. She also spent a lot of time in the gravitational trainer, but then again, all 3 of the king's children spent a lot of time in there. Even Krillen couldn't resist the sayian urge to train and become stronger.

"So," Chi-chi started "have you got a mate?". The D.J rolled his eyes, he was tired and wanted to go home.

"I'm bonded, yes," he said. "So will you please go and enjoy your party. I'm packing up in 20 minutes, so you better make the most of them". Chi-chi took another sip from her bottle and almost fell over. But a pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground. At first Chi-chi thought it was the D.J who had caught her, but she could see him, or 2 or 3 of him, standing in front of her.

"Miss Chi-chi, you really should be more careful" said the man, as he set Chi-chi back on her feet. She turned to see who it was and rolled her eyes in frustration.

"What do you want? Ka..ke..ko. What is your name anyway?"

"Kakkarot" he said.

"That's it" said Chi-chi "Now, what do you want?"

"I was just making sure you were ok" said a very concerned Kakkarot.

"Do I look ok?" asked Chi-chi

"No!"

"Exactly," said Chi-chi "I'm fine". Now it was Kakkarot's turn to roll his eyes. He picked Chi-chi up and put her over his shoulder, then he took her to sit down, unfortunately the only seats were at the bar.

"Oh, I'll have.." started Chi-chi.

"She won't have anything" finished Kakkarot.

"That was a smart move," said Vegeta as he came up beside Kakkarot "I guess you're not as dumb as you look". Kakkarot smiled goofily and put his hand behind his head. Vegeta's insult had flown right over the top of his head "Hey thanks" he said. Vegeta shook his head and took a seat next to his sister. She was not as bad as Bulma had been, but she wasn't a hell of a lot better either.

"Chi-chi" he said sternly

"What" she snapped

"You do realise how mad father is going to be, don't you?"

"Father? Father has been dead for years dummy" slurred Chi-chi

"That's mother you idiot"

"Mother!" shrieked Chi-chi, catching the attention of many party goes in the room "Mothers dead, oh no. First father, now mother. No one's left!" she started to sob uncontrollably. Vegeta gave up, there was no point trying to talk sense into her when she was like this. He threw his hands up into the air and walked off, it was time for this party to end. He walked over to the D.J and told him to cut the music.

There were a few 'awwws' and a couple of 'what the hell happened to the music' but when they saw Vegeta was waiting to say something they fell silent.

"My sister would like to thank you all for coming, but we have to ask you to leave. This is a palace and we a keeping a lot of important people who have to tend to a lot of important things tomorrow awake" he said. The crowd all nodded their head, a few were a little angry that they had to go, but for the most part they left with out a fuss.

Vegeta spotted 18 trying to sneak back into the kitchen unnoticed. "Hey you" he called.

"Dammit," muttered 18 and she walked over to Vegeta "Can I do something for you prince Vegeta?" she asked.

"You're the one, who serves my sister, are you not?"

"That is correct". Vegeta handed Chi-chi to 18, Chi-chi fought a little but eventually gave in.

"Make sure she gets to bed" said Vegeta and he walked off.

***

A/N; Ok that's the end of chapter 4. Now in this fic 17 and 18 ARE androids, but that's not really gonna matter till later on in the fic and this fic IS called 'And Then You'll Know' for a reason, but once again, isn't really going to mean anything until later on. I'll update A.S.A.P I promise I'll try to update faster from now on. ~D.B


	6. Questions and Answers

Disclaimer; I don't own DBZ so please don't sue!

A/N; FIANALLY! I am so sorry for not updating sooner, but as I'm sure you know, I've been busy and sick. Anyway, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint too much, I've been working my very best to get it out sooner, but oh well, it's here now. Enjoy. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 5

There was an eerie feeling looming over the palace, something wasn't right and everyone knew it. 18 was sitting out in the garden, under a big shady tree. She was supposed to be weeding the garden but her theory was 'screw it' weeding the stupid garden could wait. It was extremely hot and she was in an extremely bad mood, but then again, so was everyone.

18 knew something was wrong, and she had the feeling that it wasn't only going to affect the people inside the confines of the palace walls, but every being on Vegeta-sei.

She opened her eyes and stood up, she could her someone coming. When the person rounded the corner 18 cursed under her breath. It just had to be her, didn't it.

"Madam Chi-chi" she said, trying her hardest to sound like she didn't want to scratch that bitch's eyeballs out.

"Yes 18," said Chi-chi as she smoothed out the short blue dress she was wearing. "I need you to find my brother and give this to him" Chi-chi handed 18 a folded piece of paper.

"Which brother?" asked 18, hoping against hope that it wasn't the short one. She was in no mood to deal with him right now.

"Vegeta," replied Chi-chi "And if you read that paper, I will kill you" stated Chi-chi flatly and she walked off.

18 shoved the paper in her pocket and went off in search of Vegeta.

She found him about 10 minutes later, he was just roaming the corridors doing nothing important. Though it looked like he had a lot on his mind.

"Excuse me, Prince Vegeta" she called out to him. Vegeta stopped in his tracks and turned to face 18.

"What?", he snapped "What the hell do you want?". 18 came to a stop in front of Vegeta and pulled the now crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. "This is from you sister" she said. Vegeta snatched the paper off 18 and stormed off in the other direction.

"You're welcome. Prick" 18 muttered under her breath, then she headed back out to the garden.

*** 

"What's next on the list 17?" asked Tarie as she flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder. The sun was shining down on them, both 17 and Tarie were convinced it had to be one of the hottest days in Vegeta-sei's history.

17 squinted his blue eyes and looked at the list "I don't know, I can hardly read this hand writing". Tarie snatched the paper off 17 then looked at him disapprovingly. "You need glasses man," she said "It says herbs and spices"

17 shrugged his shoulders and followed Tarie to another section of the market place. "It all looks like scribble to me".

Tarie looked around and smiled, it was a rare pleasure to be allowed out side the palace. But once a month two lucky people were sent to the market place to get goods for the kitchen. This month it was their turn. She had thought about just running away and never returning to that hell they had to live in. But Tarie knew there were guard's following her and 17 around, she had seen them several times already, it was just because of the plain and simple fact that the royal family didn't trust the slaves as far as they could throw them. And judging by the weight of the slaves and the strength of the royals, that was pretty damn far.

"Ah here we are," said Tarie as she approached a wagon full of herbs and spices. "Just what we were looking for". Soon all the items on the list had been purchased and 17 and Tarie began the long journey up the big hill to the palace.

"Hey Tarie, did you notice something strange at the market place?" asked 17. While it was true he hadn't been to the market place very often, he knew when something wasn't right, and today, something wasn't right.

"Yeah, it was weird. There was no...," she couldn't think of the right word "it wasn't normal".

***

Vegeta sat down on his bed and unfolded the piece of paper.

__

Vegeta,

Papa told me to inform you that he wishes to speak with yourself, Krillen and I promptly at 3pm in the throne room. Under papa's orders you must not speak of this meeting to ANYONE as he says it is critical that no one knows unless absolutely necessary.

What do you thinks up? Must be big, huh.

Chi-chi

P.S. You tell Krillen 

Vegeta fell back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. He had known something was wrong ever since he had opened his eyes that morning. Vegeta rolled onto his stomach and pulled open his bottom draw, he pushed some things out of the way and pulled out a photo of himself with his mother, Lumie. It had been taken shortly before she died. It was one of - if not the last – picture that had been taken of her while she was living.

"What should I do mother?" he asked. But when the picture didn't reply, he put it back in it's hiding spot and left the room to go and find his 'little brother'

***

Krillen was in the library sifting through books on the history of Vegeta-sei. Chi-chi and Vegeta may have finished their learning, being 20 and 25. But Krillen was only 18, he was still required to hand in one major assignment to his father per month, this month King Vegeta had chosen the history of Vegeta-sei, so that's what he was doing.

The library was huge, one of the biggest on the planet, yet Krillen couldn't find any books on what he was looking for. He heard the door creak open and he looked in that direction. But it was no one he knew.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you need any help?" asked the librarian.

"Ah I do actually. Where are your history books?" The librarian smiled warmly at Krillen and walked out from behind her desk. "Follow me".

20 minutes later Krillen was away, he had found the books he was looking for and now he was working like crazy. He was already on his 3rd page of writing.

The time flew by and before Krillen knew it, it was 3pm. He decided he had better get going. So he packed up his things and left the library. Outside it was still extremely hot, Krillen stood on the steps for a while and watched the village people running around going about their business. Krillen sighed, sometimes he wished he was one of these people, not having to be under the stress of palace life all the time and having to deal with a whole bunch of people he didn't know or like. 

Sighing again, he made his way up the big hill towards the palace.

***

Inside the throne room it was crazy. The king and many of the planets elites were running around like mad men. Chi-chi stood in the doorway like an idiot, she had never seen such unorganised chaos in all her life

On the other side of the room the king looked up and saw his daughter. "I need a minutes Nappa, you take control here until I get back". The king then pushed his chair back and walked away from the table towards Chi-chi.

"What's going on daddy?" asked Chi-chi.

"Where are your brothers?" asked the king.

"I dunno," replied Chi-chi "I told Vegeta to tell Krillen to be here".

"Well come with me" said the king, and he pushed open the door, almost knocking his eldest son over.

"Watch it" said Vegeta as he fixed his shirt. He looked up, only to see the king and Chi-chi halfway down the hall, he quickly followed after them.

10 minutes later, Chi-chi Vegeta and the king were all sitting around in their private living room waiting for Krillen all of a sudden the door burst open and in he came.

"Sorry I'm late guys. I was in the town". Chi-chi scowled at him and Vegeta swore to beat the snot out of him later.

"It's ok. Your here now" said the king

"Well daddy. What did you want to talk about?" asked Chi-chi. The king took a deep breath and looked each of his 3 children in the eye.

"It's Frieza. He's coming, and he is not happy with us"

"What!" Vegeta stood up and slammed his fists down on the table "We've done everything that prick has told us to. Why is he coming here?"

Chi-chi stood up and placed her hand on her brother's back "Vegeta, calm down. I know how much you hate him. I do to. But getting mad isn't going to result in anything useful," Chi-chi turned to look at the king "When is he coming"

"We have a week to prepare".

Krillen sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He was positive that out of all the kings children he hated Frieze the most, after all he had been in the room when it had happened, years of hurt and grief had been building up in him. And he didn't know how much longer it was going to stay inside him.

Krillen stood up and looked at his father. "I have to go". The king nodded and Krillen left the room silently

***

18 stood up and stretched her arms up to the sky. She could see the short prince on the other side of the garden picking flowers. 'What the hell is he doing that for?' she thought to herself, as her feet left the ground. "What the hell!" she thought out loud, she hadn't meant to fly, she quickly dropped back to the ground and made she no one was looking at her. She was safe. Something was definitely going on around here and it was beginning to annoy her.

Krillen was strolling around the garden looking for a few particular flowers, he could see the girl –18- watching him. And he had to chuckle when she had gotten so mesmerised by him that she had started to float, once he had all his flowers he tired them up with a piece of string and walked over to the pretty blonde girl.

'Great' 18 though to herself as she saw Krillen approaching her – with those stupid flowers.

"Hello 18," said Krillen, he realised it was one of the first times they had actually spoken "would you like to come for a walk with me?"

18 raised an eyebrow "no" she quickly replied. Krillen shrugged his shoulder, he didn't seem to care "Ok then," he said "you looked board, I just thought you might like some company for a while. That's all. You sure you don't wanna come?"

18 rolled her eyes, but on the inside she was in deep though, she was board and – wait! Why would she want to walk with him. She didn't like him. But one little walk couldn't hurt. Could it?. She looked up to give Krillen his answer, only to see him halfway across the garden. She quickly raced to catch up to him.

"So, where are we going" she asked.

***

Vegeta was making his way to the G.R for some much needed stress relief training, but he only made it halfway before he nearly got knocked over for the second time in an hour.

"Watch it woman" he snapped.

"So its woman now is it?" asked Bulma as she flipped her long blue hair over her shoulder.

"Whatever," said Vegeta "I'm going to the G.R" and he walked off

"I hope you don't plan on training in there" Bulma called out after him. Vegeta stopped and turned around "Of course I do"

"Good luck. The G.R's broken. I could use an extra pair of hands to help me repair it" suggested Bulma, her tail curling and uncurling as she spoke.

"Fine" said Vegeta, he needed to do something, anything to get his mind off Frieza.

"Great," said Bulma happily "Meet me in the G.R in 10 minutes. I need to grab my tools and get changed ok"

"Whatever" Vegeta muttered and he walked off.

15 minutes later Bulma pushed open the door of the G.R and looked around. She was dressed in a pair of denim overalls with a white tee shirt underneath, she was also clutching a blue metal toolbox.

"You ready to work Veg-head?" she asked as she dropped the box and tied her hair back. Vegeta looked up from his spot on this floor. Had she just called him Veg-head? Shaking his head, he stood up and walked over to Bulma, she was down on her knees trying to pull a panel up off the floor. Vegeta chuckled to himself and pulled it up with ease.

"Thanks Vegeta," said Bulma and she got onto her stomach and then to Vegeta's amazement climbed into the whole in the floor. "Can you pass me the screw driver please?" she called out. Vegeta blinked himself back into reality and sifted through Bulma's toolbox, once he found the necessary item he passed it down to Bulma, only to have it come flying back and hit him in the head seconds later. "Not that one you dummy!" she said, having a good old laugh at the same time.

***

"Why are we here?" asked 18. Krillen had led her to a very unpleasant place. A graveyard.

"Be careful" said Krillen as he came to a stop in-front of a rather ordinary tombstone. He got down on his knees and placed his bunch of flowers on the ground. "This is where my mother is buried". 18's eyes grew wide. And because of that one sentence a large portion of 18's dislike for Krillen disappeared. She knew what it was like to loose your mother, it hurt more that any physical pain imaginable.

"I'm sorry," she said "I have to go" she quickly turned and ran away, she didn't want Krillen or anyone else for that matter, to see her tears

A/N; Reviews would be greatly appreciated. I'll have the next one out sooner than this one. I hope. ~D.B


	7. An Unwanted Arrival

Disclaimer; I still don't own it

A/N; Umm.....Sorry for the slow update, the lack of reviews I'm getting for this isn't really motivating me to continue. Also, I'm going on holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks, so don't expect anything from me until after that. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 6

"18!". 18 looked up when she heard someone calling her name. "What?" she called back. Tarie walked into the room where 18 was and sat down next to her.

"Have you seen your brother anywhere?" she asked. 18 nodded her head, "He was here. But then that huge bald guard came and took him away. He'll be back later" replied 18. Tarie re-positioned herself so she was more comfortable and rested her head against the cold stone wall.

"I'm so sleepy" she said.

"Well go to sleep" said 18, as though it was the most obvious answer on earth. Tarie shook her head.

"Can't. The second I sleep I'll be needed or something, it's not worth it."

"Well," said 18 "you obviously need some rest. So if you get called I'll go for you ok. Chi-chi is out with that Kakkarot person today so I'm pretty much not needed today". Tarie opened one eye and looked at 18

"You'd really do that?" she asked

"Sure why not" replied 18.

"Thank-you 18. That's really nice of you" said Tarie, she shut her eyes again and not even 5 minutes later she was asleep. 18 stood up and quietly walked off to find somewhere else she could be alone. She really wasn't a people person.

***

"Do you want something to eat Chi-chi?" asked Kakkarot as he stoped at an ice-cream booth.

"Kakkarot, we only had lunch 10 minutes ago".

"Yeah," Kakkarot grinned sheepishly "But 10 minutes is a long time". Chi-chi rolled her eyes and walked over to a shop front to admire a dress in the window.

"Wow Chi, you'd look really pretty in that" exclaimed Kakkarot. Chi-chi saw Kakkarot's reflection in the window and had to giggle. He was holding an ice cream that had 4 scoops on it, and he had ice cream smeared all over his face.

"You are such a grub Kakkarot" she said an she turned around and pulled a handkerchief out her purse. Once Kakkarot's face was clean and his ice cream was finished they continued on their way down one of Vegeta-sei most prestigious shopping strips, here it wasn't out of the ordinary to see the rich and famous, so Chi-chi felt right at home. But of course with the rich and famous came the reporters, they were everywhere, with their microphones and cameras.

"Oh let's go in here" said Chi-chi as the walked past a jewellery shop. Kakkarot shrugged his shoulders and Chi-chi grabbed his hand and dragged him into the store.

"Look at this Kakkarot" exclaimed Chi-chi. Kakkarot peered over her shoulder to see what Chi-chi was looking at. It was a diamond necklace. It sparkled and shimmered in the sunlight.

"It's almost as pretty as you are" said Kakkarot. Chi-chi blushed. She went to get her credit card out of her purse but Kakkarot stopped her.

"I want to buy it for you" he said

"Thank-you Kakkarot that's really sweet of you" said Chi-chi, then she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Maybe Bulma was right about this guy, he did seem rather nice.

They headed back outside into the sunlight and Chi-chi switched all of her bags from one hand to the other so she could look at her watch. They'd been out for nearly 4 hours and Kakkarot hadn't complained once. She looked across at him, he was looking up at the sky. Chi-chi pulled her sunglasses out her pocket, put them on and tilted her head up so she could see what had Kakkarot so interested, but she saw nothing.

"What's up there?" she asked.

"Nothing I can see," replied Kakkarot, Chi-chi noticed how his mood had completely changed. "Can you sense that?" he asked. Chi-chi closed her eyes and concentrated. It took her a few minutes, but once she felt what Kakkarot could feel, she opened her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"I need to sit down" she said, she could feel her legs getting weak.

"What's wrong Chi?," asked Kakkarot as he helped Chi-chi over to a bench. "Why are you so pale? Do you feel sick?".

"Sick? I suppose that's one way to describe it. I think I need to go home"

"OK" said Kakkarot, and deciding that the quickest way to get Chi-chi back to the palace was to fly, he scooped her up in his arms and took off.

***

"Dad, can you pass me that beaker?" asked Bulma. Mr.Briefs picked up the beaker full of think blue liquid and passed it to his daughter "be careful with that" he said. "Thanks" said Bulma. She pulled her safety goggles over her eyes and did up the buttons on her lab coat. Then she poured some of the blue stuff in a beaker that already contained a runny queen liquid.

The resulting explosion caused Bulma to stumble back and fall on the floor. Mr.Briefs quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the small blaze, then he helped his daughter up off the ground.

"I told you to be careful" he said, trying not to laugh. Bulma stuck her tongue out and pulled her glasses off, her skin was a different colour where the glasses had been and Mr.Briefs had to laugh. "I think we'd better call it a day huh?"

"OK" said Bulma, she liked being in the lab, but now, she looked, felt, and smelt dirty.

Bulma took her now black lab coat off, and walked off down the hall. When she was about halfway to back to her house, she saw the cute boy Chi-chi had gone out with this morning, and in his arms, was her best friend.

"Hey, Kakkarot" she called out. He changed his direction and walked over to Bulma.

"Do you know where her bedroom is?" he asked.

"My room's closer, follow me" said Bulma and she walked off.

When they got to Bulma's house, she opened the door and walked in.

"Mum, are you here?" she called out. No reply. 'She must be in the garden' though Bulma.

"Ok," said Bulma, Put her down in there" said Bulma as she pushed open her bedroom door. Kakkarot did as he was told and put Chi-chi down on the bed.

"Now, I'm going to have a shower, you can either go away, or stay in my room and wait for Chi-chi to wake up. It's up to you. Said Bulma

"I'll stay" said Kakkarot without even a moments hesitation. Bulma smiled and nodded her head, then she went into the bathroom.

***

17 pushed open the big doors and stepped into the big cold room. Straight away he could see his sister, she was standing at the edge of the room looking out the little window. 17 went and stood next to her.

"Hi" he said. 18 sighed and looked at her brother.

"Hello 17. How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?"

18 shrugged her shoulders "no worse than usual" she said.

"Hey where's Nison?" asked 17, looing around the room.

"I haven't seen him all day," replied 18.

"Hmmm. Maybe Tarie knows" 17 thought out loud

"Tarie's sleeping" said 18.

"Oh. Ok then, I'll just go look for him then" said 17 and he walked into the next room. 

A few minutes later 18 followed her brother and went into the next room to look for Astrid. She found her in the very back room talking to one of her friends.

"Astrid" said 18, she was shocked by the sound of her own voice, she sounded like her, when she was 11. Astrid looked up and smiled warmly. "What can I do for you 18?" she asked. 18 shook her head.

"Don't worry, it's not important" 

"18. Come, talk to me" said Astrid, her friend got up and walked away then, and 18 did as Astrid had said.

"You were good friends with my mother, right?". Astrid nodded her head "Yes, I was"

"Tell me about her. What do you remember about her?"

"Your mother. She was very beautiful and nice to everyone she came across. A lovely woman, it was a privilege to know her" said Astrid, she smiled at the memory of her late-friend. 18 remember lots about her mother, she just wanted to hear someone else talking about her. Ever since Krillen had taken her to the palace graveyard, 18 had not been able to stop thinking about her own mother, she hadn't gotten a proper burial, the twins father had only bothered to buried her to hide the evidence. 

18 heard footsteps and she looked up, it was Nison, he was walking past the door.

"Hey Nison" 18 called. Nison came back and walked over to 18.

"Yeah"

"My brother's looking for you" she said. Nison winked at 18 and walked off in search of her brother. 18 rolled her eyes and looked back at Astrid.

"He's a nice boy that Nison, you'd be happy with him" she said. 18's jaw dropped, "are you insane?" she asked.

Astrid shrugged her shoulders "perhaps"

"I would never ever even consider being anymore than friends with _any_ male whether I would be happy with him or not" said 18, she sounded mad

"Why not?"

"Do you forget, I have spent the past 7 years serving men, doing things to them that shouldn't ever be mentioned again. I've been nothing more than a sex slave to the male species of this planet for to long. I don't think I'll ever fully trust another man ever again" said 18.

"I'm sorry 18. Sometimes I forget what you've been through, I'm not as young as I used to be you know, my memory's not as sharp as it could be".

"As long as you remember what's important to you, that all that really matters"

***

Bulma wrapped the towel around her wet body and put another around her dripping wet hair. Then she pulled open the door and headed down to her bedroom.

Kakkarot was sitting on the edge of Bulma's bed, Chi-chi was lying in the middle of the bed and Kakkarot wasn't sure if she was unconscious or just sleeping. But either way he was sitting there gently stroking her head, all the while wondering what had spooked her so much out on the street. Sure there had been an unusually high ki signature, but it was way out in space, too far away to be of any real concern, or so he thought.

"Rest peacefully Chi". Kakkarot was torn away from his musings by the sound of the door creaking open. He looked up to see Bulma walking into the room covered only by a skimpy white towel. He quickly covered his eyes and turned away.

"I'm sorry," he said "I saw nothing" Bulma giggled and opened her closet, stepping in and shutting the door she said "Hey think nothing of it like you said, you didn't see anything". Some noises came from the other side of the closet door and a few minutes later Bulma stepped out. She was now dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and blue tank top. Her fluffy blue tail was swaying to and fro behind her and she had her hair pinned up in a bun.

"Well what do you say we wake up sleeping beauty over there?" suggested Bulma

"Are you sure we should?" asked Kakkarot.

"Of course I'm sure" replied Bulma sternly. She walked over to the bed and climbed on.

"Hey Chi-chi," she said lightly slapping her best friend "get up you lazy bitch". A few more slaps and a few more insults later, Chi-chi opened her eyes and sleepily looked around the room. The very first things she saw was Bulma's un-impressed face, and Kakkarot's concerned one. Chi-chi blinked a few times and pushed herself up onto her elbows.

"It's about time you woke up" said Bulma.

"Shopping, that power" Chi-chi muttered to herself. Suddenly she was wide-awake "I have to talk to daddy". The next thing Bulma and Kakkarot knew Chi-chi was out the door and down the hall.

***

Krillen was in the throne room with the king, as was Vegeta. Both of the king's sons were keeping their distance from each other, but they both knew what was going on. Right at that moment Chi-chi came running into the room, she looked very distressed. "Daddy! Daddy!" she shirked and she ran straight into the king's arms.

"Chi-chi calm down, we already know. He'll be here in a few hours"

"Can't you just tell him to go away?" asked Chi-chi

"I'm afraid not sweetheart," replied the king "I'm afraid not". Krillen looked around the room and sighed, it wasn't busy. The king and his guards were trying to stay as calm as possible, but Krillen had no desire to be in the room, he was not needed here and he had other things on this mind. She was blonde, had blue eyes and was drop dead gorgeous. He turned to leave the room but a big strong voice stopped him.

"Krillen. Stop right there" said the king. He did as he was told and turned to face the king.

"Yes father?" he asked

"Make sure you are back here in full uniform in and hour and a half ok". Krillen nodded and silently left the room

***

Tarie opened her eyes and stood up, she felt much better after her afternoon nap. "Now, where is 18?" she asked herself and she set about looking for her, she found her twin instead.

"Hey, 17" called Tarie as she jumped onto his back and covered his eyes "guess who?"

"I wonder" replied 17

"Hey have you seen your sister?" asked Tarie as she climbed off 17

"Yeah, she had to go help with some cleaning or something," said 17 "a whole bunch of people had to go".

"Ok then, I'm going to go and look for her" with that Tarie walked off.

***

18 grumbled to herself as she lugged a big role of red carpet along. "Ok roll it out here" shouted out someone who 18 didn't know.

"You ready?" 18 asked Nison, who was dragging the other end of the roll.

"Yep" replied Nison. They put the roll on the ground and pushed it out. It unwound into a long run of dark red carpet.

"Who the hell's coming to dinner?" Nison asked 18 as he linked his arm through hers and walked off to do another job, dragging 18 along after him. 

18 go out of Nison's grip and walked over to the other side of the room, which was huge. It was what looked like a big docking bay, there was a platform for ships to land on and few other things. 18 was guessing someone was coming to pay a visit, and if there was a red carpet involved it must have been important.

She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and pushed her hair back off her face. After that, she yawned loudly, she was sleepy, it was late afternoon and the sun was shining down on them, making everyone feel sleepy. The door to the docking bay opened then and Nappa walked in, taking big strides and looking around distaste, he walked over to the raised platform where ships landed and climbed up onto it.

"Ok you lot, stop everything and listen to me" he boomed. The 50 or so people in the room stoped dead and all turned their attention to Nappa. "You have all probably guessed by now that someone is arriving

here. Well this person is an extremely important person and their impression of our palace, our planet and our people could play a very important role in our future". Several eyes widened, 18 were among them.

"We are asking that you work as quickly as possible, anyone working to slow or doing to bad a job will be dealt with swiftly and harshly by the king himself, and he is in an exceptionally bad mood at the moment". With that said Nappa jumped off the platform and strode out the room. He passed Krillen on the way out, who was just making his way in.

18 spotted him and quickly looked away, she didn't wan to seem like she was happier then she should have been to see him. As she had expected, he walked straight over to her.

"Hi 18" he said.

"Prince Krillen," she greeted him, with a small nod of the head. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just walking, I happened to stop here" he replied

"Ok, whatever," said 18, just as Nison approached the pair "This is my friend Nison. Nison I'm sure you know Prince Krillen". Krillen held out his hand and Nison briefly shook it.

"Nice to meet you" said Krillen

"You to" said Nison suspiciously.

"Don't seem so shocked. I'm not as bad as the rest of my family, trust me, I don't like them a whole lot more than you do".

Nison looked across at 18, she looked just as baffled as he did.

"Look," said 18 "What do you want?"

"Nothing" said Krillen

"Well then do you know who's coming here?" asked 18. Krillen nodded sombrely.

"Who?" asked 18 after Krillen failed to reply.

"Frieza" Krillen mumbled.

***

It wasn't long before nightfall came around. By now pretty much everyone in the palace knew, and there wasn't one soul in there who wasn't at least a little bit afraid of what was going to happen next.

17,18, Nison and Tarie all sat in a quiet circle on the floor, like they had so many times before, each thinking that this could well be the last night they spent together. 18 had noticed that Tarie and her brother had been closer than usual tonight, although she had known they had liked each other from the moment she arrived here.

Far away down the hall, Bulma and her family were trying to share a normal meal, it wasn't working well though and halfway through, Bulma stood up and stormed off, not wanting her parents to see her cry. A few minutes later, she was out the door, she need some fresh air.

In the docking station, they King, his 3 children and almost all of the Sayian elites were standing around waiting for the first sign of Frieza and his men. All was quiet and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

All in all, everyone was scared, all had their own reasons, but all knew that this was going to be a long night and that the days and weeks to follow could only be worse.

Krillen looked up at the starry night sky and saw...nothing. it was horrible, every movement made him jump and every noise made him a little more nervous. For another 5 or 6 minutes everything was quite. Hen he heard his sister mumble something.

"Daddy, look up there. He's here". Krillen dared to look up, and sure enough, there was a small shiny speck in the sky, soon it became apparent that this was no ordinary speck. It was the ship of lord Frieza.

He was here.

A/N; well there you have it, Chapter 6 is done, the next one will be out when I get back from my holiday. ~D.B


	8. Confused Emotions

Disclaimer; I left my disclaimer on vacation.

A/N; Not a lot to say today. School starts tomorrow so I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but in the mean time, here's chapter 7. ~D.B.

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 7

The ship landed on the platform with an extremely loud thud. There was another few minutes of silence before the ships door slid open. Krillen looked down at his boots, he couldn't look that monster in the eye, he didn't reserve that much respect.

The king took a step forward from his children and waited for Frieza to leave his ship. First to exit was Zarbon, followed shortly after by the massive pink blob by the name of Dodoria and last but not least, Frieza himself. The king swallowed audibly and took another step forward.

"Lord Frieza," he bowed, "Welcome to our planet". Frieza did not look impressed. The king quickly straightened back up and continued on with his speech.

"You must be tired from your trip, and it is quiet late. How about I have one of my guards show you to your room" suggested the king.

"Well I suppose so. Business can wait. But trust me, as soon as morning comes, we have important things to discuss, you and I" said Frieza. The king nodded and looked around the room.

"Nappa," he called. "Show lord Frieza and his men to the guest rooms please. And I'll see you in the throne room after that" spoke the king. Nappa silently nodded and lead Frieza and his two goons out the room.

The king walked back over to his children. "I'm sorry you all have to go through this. I know it's hard, but if we just do what he wants, he should be off out planet in a week or two"

"A week or two!," exploded Vegeta "Give me 10 minutes alone with him and I'll show him what happens when you mess with the Sayian race"

"Calm down son," said the king "That's very noble of you, but not even you can beat Frieza, he surpasses us all by so much. We don't stand a chance against him" he continued.

Vegeta was fuming, how could he be so defenceless. He had done nothing but train for the past 7 years, and what had he achieved? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. What was the point of trying, he couldn't protect himself, his mother or his people.

Throwing a quick glance at Frieza's ship, Vegeta turned and stormed back inside the palace, slamming the door behind him

"Vegeta!" called out Chi-chi and she dashed off after him. "Wait".

That left Krillen. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The king knew how Krillen felt about Frieza, he had been the most traumatised by the events of his last visit to the planet. The room was quiet for a few more minutes. The king slowly made his way over to his guards and started talking to them in hushed tones. Krillen stood a around for a few minutes thinking about what to do next, then he left.

***

"Vegeta! Stop" called Chi-chi as she chased after her brother, he wouldn't stop though. Quickening her pace a little, Chi-chi she managed to catch up to him.

"Vegeta, listen to me" she said softly.

Vegeta stoped and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, he led his sister into the nearest room, which was the kitchen. Chi-chi and Vegeta sat down at the wooden table and began to talk.

"Are you ok Vegeta?" asked Chi-chi

"Do I look ok?" he snapped.

"Ok bad question," Chi-chi looked at her hands as she thought of a better way to put her question. "How do you feel about Frieza being here?"

Vegeta took a deep breath and looked his sister in his eyes. "I have never been any more against anything in my whole entire life it makes me sick to my stomach just knowing he's back"

"What do you say we take a walk" suggested Chi-chi

"Where?" asked Vegeta

"Let's go visit mama"

***

Bulma was kneeling on the ground sobbing hysterically. Just knowing that Frieza was on his way back to the planet had made old memories resurface. But now that he was actually here, things inside Bulma's head were getting out of control. 

She could hear people approaching, she looked up and saw her best friend and her brother. They saw her too, and made a quick detour to make sure she was ok.

"B, are you ok?" asked Chi-chi as she kneeled down beside her friend.

"Yes" said Bulma, but her voice stated otherwise.

"No you're not. You are a horrible lire. You wouldn't be out here if you were ok". Bulma looked at Chi-chi and smiled through her tears, "You know me to well". 

Chi-chi reached out and ran a hand over the top of the faded tombstone. Oh yes, the king's children were not the only ones who had lost a loved one as a result of Frieza's last visit. For them it had been their mother, for Bulma, she lost her big sister. Chi-chi highly doubted that there was anyone who hadn't suffered from that in some way.

"It's not fair Chi. I miss her so much. Why'd Frieza have to take her?" Bulma began to sob again. This time it wasn't Chi-chi who consoled her.

"Why'd he have to take our mother? Why'd he have to take anyone? Nobody deserved the fate he gave them, and I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again" said Vegeta, he placed a hand on Bulma's back and slowly began to rub in small circles, he knew how she felt. Bulma looked at Vegeta through fuzzy eyes. "How can you say that?" she asked.

"Trust me woman," said Vegeta, quickly returning to his normal self "I will have my revenge on that bastard. You don't just kill my mother and get away with it".

"Make sure you get him once for me as well Tammin didn't deserve what she got"

***

"Do you think he's here yet?" asked Tarie, as she inched even closer to 17.

"Dunno" replied 17, he seemed a little absent-minded.

"What do you think Nison?" Tarie questioned the half Namekian. His only reply was a shrug of the shoulders.

"18, you'll give me a proper answer won't you?" begged Tarie.

"Tarie, he's here all right. Trust me". Tarie gulped. "You sure?". 18 nodded her head "positive" 

18 looked at her brother, then at Nison. They both had almost exactly the same expressions on their faces. 18 was beyond shocked, because she had never once seen that look on her brothers face. It wasn't fear, it was uncertainty – uncertainty about what was going to happen to them all next. 

"18" 18 heard someone call her name and she looked up to see Astrid. "Can we have a word"

"Sure" 18 stood up and followed the older women into another room.

***

It was a long night for everyone concerned. No one got anymore than an hours sleep, and when morning finally came, so did a lot of grumpy moods. And one of the grumpiest belonged to the king. He and his 3 children all sat around the big table eating breakfast, all anticipating what the outcome would be of the kings meeting with Frieza, which was to take place in 45 minutes.

"Would you like some more juice sir?" asked a lady holding a jug.

"No" the king shook his head. Then he stood up and left the room. No one followed him.

Krillen put his head on the table and groaned, he was sick of this. He just wanted things to go back to the way they had been before any of this Frieza business had started. Everything had been good then, now it seemed like he was living in a crazy life that he didn't know or understand. Everything he knew wasn't important anymore, nobody cared.

It wasn't long before the silence got to thick for some to handle. Chi-chi got up and quietly excused herself. Vegeta decided to create a new doorway with Ki, then exited through that. Krillen sat for a while longer. Just thinking about what he knew now and what he would know in an hour. He shuddered at that thought and stood up. Picking up his bowl and glass he went into the kitchen to wash them, he preferred to do things like that himself. Rather than rely on other people to do it for him.

***

King Vegeta stood up as the doors to the throne room were pushed open and Frieza and his two goons came in.

"Frieza. Did you sleep well?" asked the king, hoping desperately that he had managed to impress the tyrant.

"It was satisfactory," replied Frieza as he sat down. "But we have more important thing to discuss". Vegeta cleared his throat and sat back down, prompting Frieza to do the same. He did so, and wasted no time telling the king what he wanted.

"Vegeta. As I'm sure your well aware there are several planets in this galaxy which I am having problems with at the moment. And as your people are born and raised killers I want you to do to wipe them out for me" said Frieza. The king wiped his brow nervously. "Which planets?" he asked.

"For starters. Planets Sutek and Kiasom" said Frieza, grinning evilly.

King Vegeta's eyes grew wide. He couldn't do that. Sutek and Kiasom where to of the oldest and most valued planets in the Sayian Allegiance. But he knew what would happen if he didn't do it. Frieza had almost destroyed their race once before, and the king knew he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It was a lose-lose situation for the planet.

Slowly the king raised his eyes to meet Frieza's, and he slowly nodded his head. Frieza smirked.

"Wonderful. I will give you two weeks to gather your troops and a further two after that to complete the job. I trust you can do that" the king nodded. Although he was excited at the prospect of going on a rampage – what Sayain wasn't – he was not happy about having to destroy his own allegiance, it was already fragile. A lot of those planets already had good reason to destroy the Sayians, and this could be the final straw.

Frieza stood up and headed for the door, but before he left he turned to face the king. "You do know what will happen if you don't comply with my orders, don't you?" he asked, but he didn't wait for a reply, he just walked off.

King Vegeta put his head in his hands ad groaned. Could thing get any worse? Knowing his luck – they probably could and would.

***

18 stood at the sink, grumbling. Up to her elbows in very cold water. She was washing stupid Chi-chi's stupid clothes. When all she would do was get them dirty again. Once she finished washing the dirty clothes she put them all in a basket and walked outdoors towards the drying lines to hang them. When that was done, she headed back into the laundry to fold the clean, dry clothes.

15 minutes later 18 folded the last dress and headed towards Chi-chi's room to hang her washing. Unfortunately Chi-chi was already in there. 18 muttered under her breath and placed the laundry on the chair.

"Is that clean?" snapped Chi-chi as she whirled on 18

"Yes ma'am" said 18 quietly. Chi-chi snatched up the top item, and knocked all the others on the floor in the process. Upon closer inspection of the shirt, Chi-chi noticed one tiny stain. And in her current mood, that was all she needed to push her over the edge. Chi-chi spun around to face 18, who didn't back down, she was tougher than that.

"What the hell is this?" Chi-chi demanded to know as she waved the garment in 18's face.

"It's a red shirt ma'am" said 18 boldly, knowing full well that was not the answer that bitch wanted. The next sound that could be heard, was skin connecting with skin. 18 had been slapped, and slapped hard at that. She stumbled backwards, before finally loosing her balance and falling on her rear end with a loud thud.

In the next room Krillen looked up – that didn't sound to good

"Get up" snarled Chi-chi. 18 looked up at Chi-chi through her hair, and pushed herself up off the floor

"Next time you screw up like this I won't be so lenient" said Chi-chi through gritted teeth.

18 smirked "But ma'am I don't believe I 'screwed up' you were the one who put the stain there in the first place. Don't blame me". 

Chi-chi almost exploded. "How dare you talk back to me. You are nothing more than a slave, the lowliest form of Sayian there is," said Chi-chi, this was followed up with a hard punch to the stomach, which sent 18 flying, she was not strong enough to fight back. Lack of food, and being overworked had almost killed her already.

"Next time you even think of speaking to me before you are spoken to, you will pay sorely..." Chi-chi never got to finish her sentence, because, all of a sudden she was in a pile on the other side of the room.

18 looked up eyes wide. Who in the hell had done that? It only took her a second to realise she knew who it was.

"Are you ok 18?" asked Krillen as he knelt down in front of 18. She was a little dizzy, but apart from that, she was fine.

"I'm ok" she said

"Look, come into my room and lie down for a while or something" suggested Krillen

"No, that's ok. I've got work to do here" replied 18

"18. You're coming with me whether you like it or not" said Krillen and he helped 18 up.

18 followed Krillen into the next room and sat down on the bed.

"You hungry?" asked Krillen.

"Yes" replied 18, as if it was the stupidest question she had ever heard.

"I'll go get some grub. Wait here". 18 rolled her eyes and layed back against the pillows. Where else was she going to go.

***

Vegeta sat at his desk, in his dark room. He had the heavy curtains pulled shut, despite the fact it was a beautiful day outside. All the furniture in the room was dark as well, deep reds and blacks, adding to the gloomy feel of the room. It was just the way Vegeta liked it, dark and gloomy, just like him.

Just then the door creaked open, Vegeta turned around to see who it was. And was shocked to say the least.

"What do you want?" he asked. Bulma slipped into the room and shut the door. She was quiet for a few minutes as she thought about what to say.

"I wanted to say thanks. That's all"

"What for?" asked Vegeta with out looking up at her.

"For helping me last night. I was feeling pretty down. God knows what I would have done if I'd been left alone" said Bulma. A tear slid down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She did not want Vegeta to see her cry.

Vegeta heard her sniffles and looked over at her. Rolling his eyes he turned around fully so he was facing her. "Sit" was all he said.

Bulma nodded her head and sat down on Vegeta's bed. A few more tears running down her cheeks. Vegeta got up and offered her a box of tissues, then he sat down beside her.

"Woman, stop crying. You are 21 years old" he ordered. When Bulma continued to weep he realised she was not going to stop just because he told her to. She obviously needed someone to talk to. But why the hell did it have to be him. he was no good at talking.

"Ok," Vegeta rubbed his head "Tell me what's wrong".

"It's just. I miss my sister Vegeta. I though I would be able to handle Frieza being back, but I can't. It's just to painful" Bulma began to cry even harder. It was all Vegeta could do to at least try and comfort her, so her put and arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. Then he stood up and helped up the blue haired woman sitting on his bed.

"Woman. I miss my mother to. But like I said last night. That bastard will pay for what he has done to us. You don't have to worry"

Bulma wiped her eyes and looked at Vegeta, and for what was about the millionth time, she noticed just how good looking he was. Shaking her head, she remembered she was thinking about her best friend's brother.

"I have to go" she said and she quickly ran out the room.

Shaking his head in confusion, Vegeta grabbed his towel and headed for the G.R

A/N; Uh, the end? What did you think? Tell me in a review. Till next time, see ya!

~D.B


	9. Making Headlines

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it......

A/N: It's very late and I'm very tired, but I feel bad for not updating sooner, so here is a new chapter. Enjoy. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 8

"Zarbon" called Frieza. It only took a matter of second for Zarbon to walk into the room and bow to his master. "Yes lord Frieza. How may I be of service?" he asked, as he straightened back up

"Where is Dodoria?" snapped Frieza. Zarbon jumped, but quickly regained his composer.

"I don't know, sir" he replied.

"Well find him" Frieza demanded. Zarbon nodded his head and quickly exited the room.

***

Bulma pounded on the door and waited for her best friend to open up, she was impatient, and her annoying pounding was just one way of her showing it.

When the door finally did open the first thing Bulma saw was Chi-chi's half pissed-off, half still asleep face.

"What do you want B?" asked Chi-chi as she rubbed sleepily at her eye.

"I'm board, hurry up and get dressed and let's go get something to eat" said Bulma. Chi-chi's eyes widened slightly and she opened the door some more, she pulled Bulma inside and shut the door quietly.

"B, it's 9 am on a Sunday," said Chi-chi as she sat back down on the bed. "Why the hell are you awake?"

"I haven't been able to sleep lately" said Bulma. Chi-chi nodded her head, it was obvious by just looking at Bulma that she hadn't slept for days. She had dark rings under her eyes, her hair was a mess; she looked dirty.

"Ok," said Chi-chi "I'll just get dressed and lets go get something to eat". She pulled on a denim mini skirt and a white singlet top, she ran her brush through her long black hair a few times then dragged Bulma out the room.

When they arrived at the kitchen, a cook was already their awaiting their orders. They sat at the table and Bulma picked up the newest issue of her favourite magazine – and almost chocked when she saw what was on the front cover.

Chi-chi looked up, and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked curtly

Bulma swallowed what was in her mouth "This", she handed the magazine to Chi-chi, whose reaction was very similar to her own. Bulma couldn't hold it in anymore and she burst out laughing.

On the front cover there was a full sized picture of Chi-chi and Kakkarot when they had been out shopping, some jackass reporter had gotten a photo of Chi-chi holding Kakkarot's hand while they were going into the jewellery store. At the bottom of the photo in big bold letters was a caption, which read –

'Princess Chi-chi and her toyboy, shopping for rings'. Chi-chi threw the magazine down on the table and looked at Bulma.

"How the hell does that claim I have a 'toyboy' and that we were ring shopping?" she asked. Bulma shrugged her shoulders and put down her coffee, she picked up the magazine and looked at it again.

"It's says full story on page 32" she said, and she turned to page 32. There were more photos and a full two-page article on Chi-chi and Kakkarot, though most of it was complete and utter bullshit.

"This is ridiculous" said Chi-chi when she finished reading the article

"You gotta admit though, it's kinda funny" said Bulma

"Kinda funny! You wouldn't think it was kinda funny if it was you in there. Papa is gonna be so pissed".

"Yeah, I bet," agreed Bulma "C'mon, lets go for a walk"

***

Zarbon lurked about the palace halls in search of the blob that went by the name Dodoria. He had only been at the palace for one full day, and he still didn't know his way around, so far he had passed the same room 4 times, and he was mad. As soon as he found Dodoria, he was going to pound his ugly pink head in.

Zarbon, heard a door creak open and female voices, he turned in that direction and walked off. Soon he ran into Bulma and Chi-chi.

"Excuse me" said Bulma, in an attempt to get Zarbon to move, so they could continue on their way to the G.R

"I'll move when you help me," snapped Zarbon

"Fine whatever" said Chi-chi.

"Where would you expect to find an ugly pink blob in this palace?" asked Zarbon.

"How the hell would we know?" replied Chi-chi.

"Wrong answer" hissed Zarbon and he forced Chi-chi up against the wall.

"You let go of me right now" demanded Chi-chi.

"I don't think so" said Zarbon, and he moved his hand up to Chi-chi's neck, cutting of her air supply.

Bulma screamed and tried to kick Zarbon in the head, but he was faster than she was, and he reached out with his free hand and grabbed her foot. Bulma's eyes grew wide, as Zarbon clenched his fist around her ankle, she felt it begin to swell immediately. She powered up a ki blast in her hand and threw it at Zarbon, who had no choice but to let go of Bulma and Chi-chi to block the attack. Chi-chi gasped for air and took the opportunity to get her revenge, she balled her hand and hit Zarbon right in the cheek with her fist. HE swore loudly and stumbled backwards. Chi-chi quickly moved away from the wall, and grabbed Bulmas hand, dragging her down the hall and around the corner as fast as possible.

They went into the first room they came to and Chi-chi helped Bulma sit down.

"Are you ok B?" asked Chi-chi, she was genuinely concerned about her friends well being. Bulma looked up at Chi-chi, her blue eyes were shiny with tears.

"I'll be fine," she said. "How are you".

Chi-chi's neck was burning, she walked over to a nearby mirror to examine her self and was shocked at what she saw. Around her neck was the perfect imprint of Zarbons big blue hard. It was growing darker by the minutes and totally stood out against her milky white skin. She turned around to face Bulma and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I could cover it with my hair" she suggested, more to her self than to Bulma.

"No way" Bulma stood up on her good foot, "Your dad would pick up on it straight away. I've got some make up in my room that will cover it. I use it on hickeys all the time" she said.

Chi-chi snorted with laughter, then walked over to Bulma and helped her back to her room.

***

The king sat at the round table in the palace conference room, surround by some of the planets top people, as well as a few of the kings guards.

"Ok men," he said, as he rubbed his temples. "We have two weeks to gather the necessary troops. I estimate we will need 5 to 6 hundred men"

"Sire," said Nappa "I suggest using the lottery system"

"What do you mean?" asked the king.

"Well it's simple really. All the 1st and 2nd class male sayian aged between 21 and 31 will be given a ticket. If there number is drawn, they got to battle" replied Nappa. The king looked up at Nappa, he looked pleased.

"Well men, what do you think of the proposed lottery idea?" he asked. "If you agree with it raise your hand".

All the hands in the room went up – except for one. That was the hand that belonged to the Mayor of section C4 of Vegeta-sei, Mr. Nikkosu. The king looked at him sceptically. "May I ask what you find wrong with Nappa's suggestion?" he asked.

"Well," started Mr Nikkosu. "There is always the chance we may draw out the weaker of the males or that several males from one family may be drawn, or we may draw an injured Sayian" he said.

"Well obviously there will be exceptions, and we will draw reserves just to be sure. Whatever the case though. I see this to be a sensible plan, and to me it seems like the logical thing to do" said the king. Everyone present nodded their heads in agreement, with the exception of Mr. Nikkosu of course, who was still against the decision of the board.

"Then it will be done," said the king, and he stood up. Nappa did so too. "Now if you don't mind. I have important matters to attend to"

***

"Niiison," called Tarie in a singsong voice. "Where are you?". Nison looked up and smiled goofily, Tarie's moods had been a hell of a lot better ever since she and 17 and decided to 'hook up' as 17 had put it.

"I'm over here" Shouted out Nison and he poked his head up from behind the bushes.

"Ah". Tarie spotted him and changed her course of direction towards him.

"What can I do for you Tarie?" asked Nison as he wiped his dirty hands on his old, worn shirt.

"I've been told by that royal pain in the ass Vegeta to find you and 17 right away so you can report to a priority duty" she said, stars in her eyes at the thought of seeing 17.

"Ok ok" Nison stood up, glad to be out the garden, and wondering what could be so important he had to report to Vegeta himself. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"Tarie, which Vegeta are you talking about?". Tarie stopped and clipped her friend over the back of the head. "The king you idiot."

***

"17, you are really starting to bug me you know" said 18, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave her brother a death glare with her ice blue eyes.

"Yeah, I guess that's just the kinda guy I am" replied 17 stupidly. 18 rolled her eyes skywards, she just couldn't stay mad at her brother, it was just to hard, his good mood seemed to rubbing off on her.

"You're an idiot 17" she said. Then she turned her attention back to the job at hand, scrubbing the floors of the palace halls.

17 sighed happily and put his sponge back in the bucket. He didn't really care that he was stuck scrubbing. Lately things had really been looking up for him, sure, he wasn't going to get out of slavery any time soon, but ever since her had gotten with Tarie, one of his oldest and dearest friends, things had been getting and better. Just thinking about Tarie made him smile, so when he heard her voice a few minutes later, his happiness tripled.

"17!" she called.

"We're in here". Tarie and Nison made a quick left turn and walked over to the twins.

"Hey guys" said Nison. 18 pushed her hair off her face, with a wet soapy hand. "Dammit" she muttered to herself. Now her hair would be sticky.

17 stood up and greeted Tarie with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, 18 made sure to keep her eyes to the floor during the display of intimacy, when it was over, 18 looked up at Nison "Hi" she said.

"17, the king is requesting you and Nison". 18 looked up at her brother. Was it good the king wanted to see him? Something was telling her it wasn't.

"Ok," said 17 "Can you handle things here sis?"

"Yeah, I'm almost done here anyway".

"Ok see ya later 18," said Tarie. "C'mon boys. Lets go"

***

"Ow, ow, ow, ow..."

"Stop your complaining. We're almost there" said Chi-chi as she turned down the last hall that would take her to Bulma's house. They arrived at the door and opened it.

"Bulma, is that you?" came a peppy female voice from the kitchen

"Yes mum, it's me. Chi-chi as well" replied Bulma.

"Good morning Mrs.Briefs," said Chi-chi politely "How are you?"

"Oh well anything but good. I mean with that Frieza character on the planet it's hard to feel safe. It's ridiculous really, when you don't even feel safe in your own home. Oh that reminds me Bulma. I was thinking of having you father install a security system. What do you think of that?"

Bulma eyes grew wide and she scratched her head in bewilderment, she was glad she wasn't as dim witted as her mother. "Ah yeah, that sound great. Me and Chi will be in my room ok" she said, and she hobbled off, Chi-chi close behind.

Once they arrived safely at Bulma's room, they flopped down on the bed and were quiet for a few minutes. Bulma was the first one to sit up, she pulled up her pants to take a look at her ankle, it wasn't as bad as it felt, but it had swollen quiet a lot. "That's gonna need ice" she said to herself.

"So," said Chi-chi as she stood up and walked over to Bulma's big mirrored doors. "Where's this make up?"

"In my make up bag, over there" Bulma pointed to her desk, and sure enough there was a big pink bag sitting on it. Chi-chi picked it up and threw it at Bulma, who found what she was looking for and gave the item back to Chi-chi.

"Put some of that on your neck" she said. Chi-chi did as she was told and was pleasantly surprised at the results.

"How's your foot now?" asked Chi-chi

"Like I said before. I'll be fine. I just can't do any marathon running for a few days. That's all" Chi-chi laughed and soon Bulma joined in.

***

Krillen dropped his towel to the ground and then fell next to it with a thud a few seconds later. He was determined to get stronger so he could help in the battle against Frieza. And he was sure that training in 350 time's normal gravity was the way to do it. But after 5 hours, training in 350 times gravity became pretty hard.

"Simulation ended, gravity returning to normal" boomed the computerised voice of the G.R. Krillen breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. He picked up his towel and wiped his brow. "Thank god that's over" he said to himself as he pulled open the G.R's door and headed down the hall to his room for a much-needed shower.

On his way to his room, he passed the throne room, he could hear his father's voice booming from behind the closed door – he sounded mad. Being the curious young man he was, Krillen couldn't resist opening the door just a little and peaking his head in. What he saw inside confused him greatly. There were 4 or 5 rows of people, Krillen could easily identify them as the slaves and the king was yelling and screaming orders at them. Krillens eyes quickly scanned the audience for 18, but he didn't see her. So he shut the door and continued down the hall.

***

"Right you lot. Are you all clear on my instructions?" the king waited a few seconds before he spoke again "I'll go over it one more time to make sure you do".

Nison rolled his eyes towards the sky and 17 shook his head. What the king wanted them to do wasn't really that complicated.

"It is your job to go into the town and distribute these letters to all households in the 3 closest villages. When you return you will immediately report to me. Your maps will be distributed shortly" said the king.

Soon the maps were passed around and each man took one. 17 and Nison were happy to find that they were working in almost the same streets, and the quickly decided to work together, figuring it would get done quicker that way. Next they were handed a big bundle of letters each and kicked out the throne room.

"Well," said Nison "What do you say we get started?"

"Sound like a plan to me" agreed 17 and they set off down the hall towards the main entrance.

***

'This is stupid' 18 mumbled to herself as she plugged the vacuum cleaner into the wall and started to clean the carpets in Chi-chi's room.

"Did you say something?" asked Chi-chi from the bed

"No ma'am" replied 18 quietly

"Didn't think so," said Chi-chi "And when you're done in here could you clean out my bathroom?".

"Of course ma'am"

"And sweep the balcony"

"Yes ma'am"

"And do my laundry?". 18 nodded her head and turned her gaze out the big glass door to the bright blue afternoon sky.

Soon there was a knock on the door.

"Get that will you" demanded Chi-chi. 18 stopped the vacuum and went to open the door.

"Must you work her so hard all the time?" asked Krillen from the doorway.

"She's my slave and I can do what I want with her." said Chi-chi "What do you want anyway?"

"Bulma wants you". Chi-chi stood up and headed for the door, but she stopped before she got there and turned to look at 18.

"You better finish in here and if you screw anything up I'll make you pay" she said and she left the room, almost knocking Krillen to the ground in the process. 18 sighed and went back to her tasks. She didn't realise that Krillen came further into the room and was standing beside her. So when she saw him, she was shocked to say the least.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'm sorry she works you so hard. How about we go for a walk" suggested Krillen.

"No. I've got to much work, and beside, I don't like you – remember"

"Look, how about I help you here. Then we can walk". 18 did a double take, was Krillen actually offering to help her? She didn't believe it, she couldn't, she wouldn't, but she accidentally looked into his sparkling black eyes and – she did. Dammit.

***

Hours and hours later, 17 and Nison trudged back up the big hill that would lead them to the palace, and they were so glad when they finally reached the front gate and headed inside to rest. The walk from the front gate all the way to the slave quarters, which was at the very back of the palace, where no one dared to go, seemed to take the longest time of all. So when they finally reached the big wooded door they were just about ready to die from exhaustion.

"17, where have you been?" asked Tarie as she ran up to him and gave him a hug, 18 followed Tarie into the room to greet her brother

"Hi" he said sleepily.

"God, your exhausted, come lie down with me" said Tarie and she dragged 17 into another room. Nison stood sleepily in the doorway, wobbling slightly from side to side. 18 rolled her eyes and walked over to Nison. "C'mon," she said, "You're about to pass out". Nison gladly took 18's hand and she led him into the room she and Tarie had been in before the boys arrived.

"Lie down" demeaned 18. Nison didn't need to be told twice he gladly lay down and shut his eyes. He couldn't get to sleep though, and he had no idea why.

18 sat against the wall and looked affectionately at her brother, he look so peaceful and happy with his arm flung over Taries tiny waist. 18 felt a pang of jealousy wash over her at 17's newfound happiness, but it was quickly replaced by guilt. 17 deserved to be happy, he had been miserable for a long time. Unbeknown to her a tear slid down her cheek and splashed onto the cold floor below.

"18 are you ok?' asked Nison as he sat up a little.

"I'm fine" replied 18, though she was clearly not. Nison shook his head and crawled over to 18. Sitting down next to her. "What's wrong?" he asked

"Nothing" said 18 determinedly. Nison took a deep breath and put an arm around 18's shoulders, hoping desperately that 18 wouldn't kill him. Well she didn't kill him, or even tell him to move all she did was begin to sob even more. Nison was confused.

18 looked up at Nison through her crystal blue eyes, which were shimmering with tears and a whisper of a smile touched her lips. Nison smiled back and what he found himself doing next even shocked him.

"Ah, Nison, get off me you freak" shrieked 18 and she jumped up in disgusted before storming off into another room. Nison sat there shocked beyond all belief.

He hadn't had he?

No, he couldn't of.

Could he?

He did.

A/N: Well there you have it, yet another chapter. Next one will be up soon. I hope. Please review. And I'm thinking about doing a sequel to 'A Helping Hand', what do you think of that idea?. ~D.B


	10. Playing With Death

Disclaimer; Still don't own em.....

A/N; Ok firstly I'd like to apologise for the delay in the update of this fic, but I do have a valid reason, I wasn't just being lazy I promise. Anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 9

Kakkarot landed on the ground outside the gate to his house.

"Good afternoon master Kakkarot" greeted the man who kept watch at the front gate.

Kakkarot smiled stupidly and shoved one of his hands in his pocket, he waved with the other. "Hi Logan," he said, then in an attempt to continue the conversation he asked, "Any mail?".

Logan looked down at his bench and picked up a few letters. "Here you go".

"Thanks" said Kakkarot and he took the mail and made his way up the driveway towards the house.

"Bill, bill, mother, father, father, bill," he said to himself as he sifted threw the mail. "Ah, here we go, 'to the males of the house". Kakkarot shrugged his shoulders, walked in the front door, put the other mail down on the table and ripped the one he was still holding, open.

__

This is official mail from the palace of Vegeta-sei.

Greetings. At present Vegeta-sei is required to go into battle by order of Lord Frieza. In order to determined who will be going into battle with the Sayian elites a lottery type system has been devised. On the attached notice you will find the names of all people eligible for the lottery and their pin number.

The instructions are as follows. If your number is drawn, you will pack your bags and be in the palace courtyard within the hour to await further details

The lottery will be televised on channel 33 at 7.30-p.m. next Tuesday the 11th.

Good luck

King Vegeta.

Kakkarot blinked and read over the letter again, then again after that. 'Wow' he thought to himself 'this is pretty big. I wonder if I'll be going to fight'. Just then Turles walked into the main hall.

"Turles" shouted Kakkarot. Turles stopped and rolled his eyes. "What?," he asked "I was just about to leave"

"Read this" demanded Kakkarot.

"It better be important" said Turles as he took the piece of paper

"It is" said Kakkarot. Turles read the letter, then like Kakkarot, read it again. "Wow," he said, then he looked at his twin brother "Well, see you later".

Kakkarot frowned at the spot where his brother had been moments before. "Wow. See you later" was that all he had to say. Well, he'd do something about that when he Turles got back. Right now though, he was going to go and see what Raddizt and his father had to say about this.

***

"Bulma! Are you here"

"Yes dad. What is it?" called Bulma from the other side of the lab.

"I think you should come take a look at this". Bulma grumbled and stood up from her work station. She had really been getting into what she had been doing, and being told to stop wasn't really what she wanted

"What is it?" she asked

"Look" replied Dr.Briefs. Bulma looked down at the blue liquid and gasped. What had once been a light blue, thin, water like substance was now transforming into a thick dark blue mess.

"What's going on?" Bulma asked her father.

"Well last night I added some fluorine to the mixture and this is what happened" stated the doctor.

"Fluorine!" exclaimed Bulma. "Why the hell did you do that? You know what fluorine does to things" Bulma shook her head and groaned, sometimes her father was just a little absent-minded.

"I'm gonna take a break ok," said Bulma as she took off her lab coat "I'll be back in half an hour". Dr Briefs nodded his head and turned back to the black-blue mess.

Bulma ran her fingers through her hair, she stopped in front of a big window and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue and there was not a cloud to be seen. She sighed, it seemed the planet was mocking it's people by being so bright and cheery, a dark, stormy day would have suited the Sayians drab mood better.

Bulma heard footsteps she turned to see who it was, but it was no one she knew. Sighing, she continued on her way to the kitchen.

***

"Dodoria, is eating all you are any good at?" asked Zarbon.

"No," replied Dodoria "I'm good at lots of things" he retorted.

"Like what?". There was a pause as Dodoria tried to come up with a list of his talents. Zarbon sniggered and opened his mouth to say something, undoubtedly another insult for Dodoria, but the creaky kitchen door was pushed open, curious to see who it was, Zarbon kept his mouth shut.

Bulma cursed under her breath when she saw who was sitting at the big wooden kitchen table. She quickly walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of chocolate ice cream. Then, grabbing herself a spoon, she sat down at the far end of the table and began to eat.

Zarbon watched her, captivated by her beauty. She was definitely exotic, never in all his years had Zarbon seen a blue Sayian. And despite her odd colouring, she was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, he wanted Bulma, and he was a man who always got what he want, no matter who he had to take down.

Taking a deep breath, Zarbon scooted down the bench a little and re-positioned himself next to Bulma.

"Hi," he said "remember me?". Without moving her head, Bulma shifted her eyes across and looked at the freak known as Zarbon out the corner of her eye. "Unfortunately" she said.

Zarbon draped one of his arms over Bulma's shoulders and put his face uncomfortably close to hers.

"Aw baby," he said, "I know you don't mean that". Bulma tried to shrug his arm off "Like hell I do, get away from me you...you...Just get away"

Bulma got up to leave the kitchen, but Zarbon grabbed onto her arm preventing her from going anywhere.

"Get off me!" she shrieked, she flailed her arm about wildly to try and break Zarbons' hold on her, but it was to no avail, he was much stronger than she was.

"Let me go" she said again, her voice was much more lethal this time. All Zarbon did was laugh.

"I don't think so," he said "Your far to pretty for me to just 'let you go". Bulma was fuming, she looked across at Dodoria, who seemed to be enjoying the show immensely.

"I'm only gonna tell you one more time," said Bulma, "Let. Me. Go". Zarbon only tightened his grip on her arm and purposely dug his fingers into her creamy white flesh, causing Bulma's knees to buckle, she fell to the floor and cried out in pain. Bulma acted purely on Sayian instinct next, she saw her opponents' closest ligament, which in this case was his arm, and she sunk her teeth into it. The taste of blood filled her mouth and she quickly began to spit all over the floor.

Zarbon yanked his hand away from Bulma, her head hit the ground with a bang and she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous.

"You bitch," he said, "that will cost you your life". All Bulma could do was shut her eyes as the sound of someone creating a ki ball filled her ears.

She didn't want to die yet!

Zarbon laughed wildly, he could feel the ki tingling his hand, and he could only imagine how much pain he was about to put Bulma through.

Zarbon was so caught up in his business that he didn't hear the kitchen door open again, and he didn't see the look on Vegeta's face when he saw what was about to happen. In fact, Zarbon didn't know Vegeta was in the room until his hands were clamped firmly around his neck, preventing breathing, or even thinking straight.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" snarled Vegeta, his voice deadly. Zarbon only made gagging noises by way of reply.

"It's no fun being threatened within an inch of your life is it?" said Vegeta, then in one swift movement, he threw Zarbon to the other side of the room, where he collided with the shelves and pots and pans came crashing down around him. Zarbon didn't notice though, he was out cold.

Vegeta shot an angry glare at Dodoria, before he bent down to help the barely conscious Bulma to her feet. The first thing he noticed was the big gash on her head that was oozing crimson blood into her aqua hair.

"Am I dead?" asked Bulma meekly

"No women not yet. But you will be if I don't get you to the infirmary quick" replied Vegeta and he picked Bulma up and carried her out the room.

Some time later the two of them were sitting in a small room that contained nothing more than a chair and a bed.

"Why is it that you seem to have a habit of showing up just when I need to be rescued?" asked Bulma, who was now feeling considerably better. Vegeta just shrugged his shoulder.

"I guess I'm just lucky" Bulma answered her own question. Just then the heavy wooded door was pushed open and the doctor strode into the room, followed by Mr and Mrs Briefs. Bulma rolled her eyes, now she was in for it.

Vegeta smirked as he watched Bulmas parents fuss over, she seemed to be just about ready to blast them both to the next dimension, satisfied that she was going to be ok, he left the room.

***

It was a rainy, Tuesday afternoon, the mood through out the palace was a bad one. Everyone knew the lottery was to be drawn tonight, and everybody was hoping there name wouldn't be drawn. The elites had been training for weeks now, for they were obviously going, as were the kings two sons'. Krillen and Vegeta would be going to take down a planet that belonged to their very allegiance, and while Vegeta didn't seem to be to fazed by that fact, it was driving Krillen mental.

He looked up at the clock, it was only 2, this had to be one of the longest days in history. He needed to do something to pass the time, but there was nothing he wanted to do. He knew he should train, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, and besides, he was already many hundreds, or maybe even thousands time stronger than the average being from planets Sutek and Kiasom.

Turning his head slightly, he looked at the wall, he knew 18 was on the other side of it, he heard Chi-chi yelling at her before about something or other. A faint smile touched his lips, he seemed to like 18 more and more everyday, she was the one thing most commonly on his mind.

Suddenly he was snapped out of his thoughts by someone knocking on the door. He blinked a few times and stood up.

"Yeah?" he asked as he pulled the door open.

"The king wished to speak with you" said the lady on the other side, then she turned on her heel and walked off. Krillen stepped out his room and headed toward the throne room, he passed Chi-chi's room on the way and noticed the door was wide open, he could see 18 down on all fours, scrubbing madly at a stain on the floor, Chi-chi didn't appear to be in there.

"Pssst 18" whispered Krillen. 18 looked up, a dark scowl occupying her usually blank face.

"18, what's wrong?" asked Krillen from the doorway. 18 didn't reply, she just cast her eyes back to the floor and continued to clean.

"18 hey, look at me" 18 let go of the scrubbing brush and sat up, she looked Krillen directly in the eyes as he came further into the room, which he was absolutely not supposed to be in, and sat down beside her.

"Are you gonna talk to me or not?" asked Krillen.

18 opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped, as she though about what it was she exactly wanted to say.

"Don't think I'm mad at you, cause I'm not. I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment that's all".

"We've all got a lot on our minds at the moment. Trust me, if I told you everything I was worrying about right now, we'd be here for a good 40 years".

A small smile touched 18's lips, but it quickly faded. There was something about Krillen, he made all the bad things in her life seem not so terrible.

"I have to go now, my father wishes to see me, but if you're finished in here by 3, I'll be in the garden if you're interested". With that, Krillen got up and left. 18 felt a pang of disappointment wash over her when he left and she quickly forced herself to think of something else, but it was no use, within a few moments her thought were back on him. 

She couldn't be falling for him could she? No it wasn't possible for her and her brother to feel those types of things was it? Was it? No. But maybe, just maybe she was. It was all so goddamn confusing, and in only a few seconds she had worked herself up into another bad and angry mood.

***

Krillen pushed open the huge doors to the throne room and stepped inside. His father and brother were already in there.

"Ah Krillen," said the king "glad you are here". Krillen raised an eyebrow, even his own father had never said that to him.

"Is this gonna take long?" asked Vegeta "I have things to do".

"No, I just wanted to give both you boys something before you leave" said the king and he handed each of the boys a small gold badge with the royal insignia on it. "Wear it with pride, remember who you are fighting for".

"We're fighting for Frieza" snapped Vegeta and he threw the badge to the ground and stormed out the room. Krillen picked up the badge and handed it back to his father, slipping his into his pocket he headed out to the garden.

Unlike his older brother, Krillen saw what his father had ment, it didn't have anything to do with fighting for the planet at all, the king was trying to thank his two sons for acting mature and responsible while their future was being threatened in front of their very eyes. Looking down at his watch Krillen noticed that it was almost 10 past 3, he had doubted 18 would show up right from the second he had asked her, but he had wanted to say goodbye to her properly before he left tonight. He tilted his up and looked at the dark sky, he didn't want to leave the planet. He wasn't even of age yet – only 18. If he had been anyone but the king's son he wouldn't have even been considered for this stupid mission. Why was he always so unlucky?

18 obviously wasn't going to show up, so Krillen got up off the bench he had been sitting on and turned to go inside.

"Wait"

Krillen turned around and saw 18 walking slowly down one of the garden paths "Sorry I'm late". He smiled and sat back down.

"That's ok".

"Look I can't stay long, I'm not supposed to be here and I'm already in enough trouble as it is". Krillen didn't bother to ask what she had done to get herself in trouble.

"It's alright. I wanted to say goodbye" said Krillen.

"Goodbye?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you know we're leaving tonight to carry out Frieza's stupid orders". 18 nodded her head somberly. Krillen stood up and took a few steps backward and a few deep breaths.

"Bye" said 18 quietly

"Bye. And oh yeah, if I come back alive, I think you'd make a great princess"

***

"Daddy that's not fair!" shrieked Chi-chi, she was acting like a 5 year old. The king was beginning to lose his cool with his only daughter.

"Chi-chi, I can not tell you who was selected because I simply do not know. You are going to have to wait just like the rest of us"

"But daddy, I want to know now. You are the king, you should know these things.

"Chi-chi, I'm not going to argue with you any longer, I already have to many problems and I don't need to add you to the list. So will please just go and wait like the rest of the palace. I'm sure Bulma is over there". 

Chi-chi caught a glimpse of her father's eyes and saw all the emotion there, he really did look like he was about to cry. "Ok daddy" she said and she turned and left the throne room.

Sure enough, Bulma was sitting on the front steps of the palace waiting for the first arrivals of the lottery, which had been draw about 10 minutes earlier. The first few men should be arriving any minute now, since they only 30 minutes to arrive.

"Hey B. How you feeling after this morning?" asked Chi-chi as she took a seat next to her friend.

"I'm feeling ok. Daddy said I hit my head pretty bad, but I think I'm gonna survive" Chi-chi smiled and put an arm around her friend, in a hug that was really designed to try and make her feel happier instead of Bulma. Bulma, being the genius she was, picked up on this almost instantly.

"It's ok Chi, I know how you must be feeling. It's not fair"

"I know" said Chi-chi and a single tear slipped down her cheek

***

17 was sitting on the floor opposite the big wooden doors that lead outside to the hall, he was waiting for his sister, she should have been back hours ago.

Suddenly the big heavy doors were heaved open and 18 walked into the cold room.

"Hi," she said sleepily "What are you doing in here all by yourself?". 17 stood up and gave his sister a quick hug, "Just thinking".

"Seems everyone's being doing an awful lot of that lately" said 18 as she pushed her dirty, messy blonde hair off her face, today had been a particularly hard days work and 18 felt just about ready to fall on the floor and die.

"Hard day huh?" 17 asked sympathetically. 18 looked at her brother, her big blue eyes told him more than her word ever would "Yeah". Tarie chose that moment to walk into the room, she saw the twins and walked over to them, putting on arm around 17's waist in an affectionate hug.

"Hey the guys have started arriving" she said. 17 raised an eyebrow, "Already?" he asked. Tarie nodded her head. "Hey I have an idea," she said "Why don't we go watch, I mean, it's not hard for us to sneak around, we probably know this palace better than the king himself".

17 laughed at Tarie's last statement, it was so true. "Well I'm game," he said "You with us 18". 18 shrugged her shoulder, maybe some snooping around was exactly what she needed to take her mind off all things named Krillen. "Sure, why not" she said, and the 3 of them headed for the door.

***

More and more men arrived in the court yard, despite the fact most of them didn't know each other, they were all happily talking away, getting to know each other before they went off into battle, where they were most likely to soak in each others blood. Chi-chi and Bulma still sat on the step watching in awe, it was beyond the girls how these men could be so cheery when they knew what was going to happen in a couple of hours time. Suddenly Chi-chi's eyes locked on to one body, he was dressed in a simple orange gi and he had a red duffel bag slug over his shoulder. "Oh my god, no" muttered Chi-chi, then she stood up and raced over to the person.

"Oh hey Chi, what are doing out her, it's cold, you should be inside". Chi-chi stopped short, what was she supposed to say to that?

"You're not going are you? Please say your not going" Chi-chi thought desperately

"Huh, yeah, I'm going, sorry" said Kakkarot. Chi-chi looked up at the older and taller man and blinked, had she really said that out loud. Damn it, she had.

"Well, maybe I can talk to daddy, then you won't have to go" said Chi-chi, more to herself than to Kakkarot.

"It's ok Chi, I'm going to go and serve my planet". Chi-chi smiled; this guy really was something.

"Well then promise me your going to come back ok". Kakkarot smiled goofily and took Chi-chi's hands in his. "I promise" he said. Chi-chi felt her knees go weak and she had to remind herself to stand up, she had never felt like this before. Her heart was beating faster, and she felt an unbelievable urge to kiss the man standing in front of her. But she couldn't do that. Could she?

***

King Vegeta stood at the window and sighed deeply, from here he could see the courtyard and all the men gathering there. He could also he his daughter and the son of the Son's, that brought a smile to his lips, it was his first smile in days.

He was very aware of what was about to happen, his men were going to go head on in to a bloody battle and it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. Both of the races they were to go up against were considerably larger than the Sayian race. And one planet had amazing technology and weapons, while the other had fighters that could almost challenge the Sayians a smirk appeared on the king lips – 'almost'.

"It's a beautiful night, is it not" came a husky voice out of nowhere. The king jumped and spun around only to be face to face with his self-proclaimed archenemy, the so-called lord of the universe Frieza.

"Yes, it is. Pity half of these men won't be coming back to see another night like this". King Vegeta turned his gaze out the window, a large number of these men had young families with them, and they were sharing emotional farewells.

"Depends on how you look at it" said Frieza, his voice emotionless as usual, yet his eyes told another story, they were alive with excitement. The king was almost sick when he realised. The bastard was actually enjoying this, he was looking forward to hundreds of men dying in battle.

"What do you mean?" asked the king, his voice full of hate.

"Well you see it as your men dying in battle, right?" asked Frieza. The king nodded stupidly "Well the way I see it, it's just a few less Sayians to worry about". A cold shiver ran down the king's spine, how could someone be so heartless.

But one look into those cold, dark eyes answered his question. It was simple; he had no heart to begin with.

***

"Tarie are you sure we should be doing this?" asked 18 doubtfully, thought she had to admit, the trio had a superb hiding spot, it was a dark little corner that conveniently had a large bush in front of it. They all fit behind it easy and if they were down on their knees it was just the right hight to poke your head over.

"Hey 18, isn't that you 'boss' over there. With the huge guy?" asked 17. 18 looked at her brother and raised an eyebrow, then she turned her gaze to the ever growing crowd. Just how many people had been drawn anyway. Then she saw it, Madam Chi-chi getting all mushy with the tall guy. It wasn't what 18 wanted to see. She didn't enjoy seeing other people happy when her own life was so horribly miserable, it just made it even worse.

"Well?" 18 was snapped back into reality by the sound of her brother's voice. "Huh," she blinked a few times "oh yeah, it is"

"18 you just haven't been yourself lately. Are you feeling ok?" asked Tarie. 18 was very tempted to form a Ki blast in her hand and blow Tarie into the next dimension, sure it would have blown their cover, but 18 was willing to bet she could give these Sayians a run for their money, she was not just some weak slave girl.

None the less, 18 forced a smile to her lips and aimed in Taire's direction. "I'm fine" she said, lying through her teeth and hoping Tarie was to dumb to realise. As it turned out, luck was on her side, Tarie smiled warmly and genuinely at 18 "ok then, just take care of your self ok. It's not easy to be us". 18 rolled her eyes, compared to her Tarie was living the sweet life.

Tarie sighed quietly and rested her head on 17's shoulder. She saw the look 18 gave her, but she chose to ignore it like she did so often, she felt 17's arm snake it's way around her waist and she smiled. Then on impulse, she pounced on 17 and began to tickle him. 18's eyes widened, they were gonna blow their cover for sure!

"Tarie stop it!" 17 squirmed and giggled as he tried to get out from under her. Eventually he did, and his first instinct was to get away from her and her fingers. He scooted backwards a few feet, apparently forgetting where he was. "17 stop" warned 18 in a loud whisper, but he didn't hear her. And the next thing 18 remembered was hearing the ear-piercing scream that left her lips.

Everyone who was present jumped a mile and covered their ears at the sudden sound, soon their attention turned to the man who still had his index finger outstretched from the blast he had just fired. He looked shocked, like he hadn't actually meant to do it, it had just been a reflex. Then their eyes turned to the recipient of the blast.

One man out of the entire group rushed straight to the scene.

"17!" 18 shrieked, her entire being was consumed by fear, her brother was bleeding everywhere, she quickly jumped up from her spot and crouched down behind her brother, she carefully placed his head in her lap, her bare legs were instantly covered in blood. She looked up at Tarie, who looked absolutely mortified, there were a few seconds of silence before 18 began her verbal assault.

"What the hell were you thinking, you complete idiot. I can't believe you. I hope you know this is all your fault" screamed 18, the tears pouring down her face, she had never really cried before, this was all so new to her and she didn't like it. Tarie fell to her knees beside 17, but 18 would not have it.

"No way in hell, get up now. You are going to go and find help this second" demanded 18

"No, I have to stay hear" Tarie's voice was barely a whisper.

"No, this is your fault, you go and get help right now, or 17 is going to die" stated 18 bluntly.

"I know that," Tarie suddenly found her voice and used it full force "but I love him".

"Yeah well so do I, so I suggest you go get help". Tarie suddenly came to her senses and ran across the silent courtyard towards help.

18 wiped her cheek with her bloody hand, but it did nothing to stop the tears. Suddenly a figure crouched down next to her. 18 looked to her left and saw two shining black eyes. It was Krillen.

"It'll be alright" he said. 18's eyes widened considerably. "All right. Are you insane?" she asked desperately "how can this be alright"

Krillen smiled gently, and for a second 18 actually believe he was right "just trust me".

17 coughed and spluttered up a large amount of blood and his eyes began to roll back in his head, he was losing concisions fast. "Oh god, he's not gonna make it" muttered 18, as a fresh batch of tears welled up in her eyes.

Krillen saw what was happening and quickly took off his shirt, folded it a couple of times and pressed it firmly to the wound.

18 watched him as he tended to her only family, and she silently thanked who ever it was that felt sorry enough for her to give her her very own guardian angel to watch over her.

"18! 18 move" called Tarie as she came running towards her, with Nison close behind. 18 rested her brother's head on the ground, he screamed out in pain and 18 felt it surge through her body.

Nison dropped to his knees and his hands began to glow. 18 watched on, her knees felt weak and her whole body was shaking. It seemed to take forever for Nison to do what he had to do. 18 realised that the feud they had been having was silly, he was saving her brothers life, she owed him for ever.

It took about 10 minutes, but 17's wound healed and 18 was able to breath easy again, 17 was going to be ok, he had lost a lot of blood and he would be out of action for a while, but he would be fine.

"Thank-you Nison," said 18 as she knelt beside her brother "thank-you so much"

"Hey don't mention it" said Nison

"Can I do anything to re-pay you?" she asked

"How about we just forget about out little disagreement". Suggested Nison. 18 smiled "Sure"

17 opened his eyes and moaned. 18's attention was instantly back on her brother, she took his hand and held it firmly. "It's ok," she said "it's gonna be ok now"

Tarie fell to her knees and ran her finger gently down 17's face "I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry"

"Hey, it's all right, don't worry about it".

18 hung her head, her hair was covering her face. "Tarie, Nison, can you help 17 inside please?" she asked quietly "and do it gently" she warned, her voice now venomous.

Very quickly and very quietly Tarie and Nison helped 17 up and carefully helped him inside. 18 didn't move, she kept her position in the pool of sticky drying blood. Slowly everyone moved away, continuing to prepare to leave.

Krillen came back over to 18 and crouched down beside her. "C'mon 18, get up. You can't stay out here all night, you'll get cold and sick" he said, trying to comfort her.

"I'm already cold and sick" she snapped, not moving a muscle. "And besides, I've got to clean up this mess"

"No you don't"

"You might be living the easy life, never having to life a finger. But I'm not, if I don't clean this now, I'll just be forced to do it after, trust me."

Now it was Krillens turn to feel ashamed, 18 was right, her and her friends were all treated wrongly. They didn't even have proper clothes to wear or beds to sleep in.

18 took hold of the dirty, torn, rag that was supposed to be her shirt and ripped a section off the bottom, she began to mop up the sticky mess with it.

"18" said Krillen, 18 paid no attention what so ever to him. "18 look at me".

She looked at him, and waited for him to talk. "What?"

"When I get back, things are going to be different for you. I promise". 18 raised an eyebrow and resumed her task, "I highly doubt that" she said.

***

Bulma landed back on the ground, her mouth hanging wide open. That had definitely been one of those things you don't see every day. Chi-chi was in much the same state as she landed beside her friend.

"What the hell is going to go wrong on this stupid planet next?" she asked.

"I don't think father would appreciate you calling his planet stupid, sister" came a gruff voice from behind Chi-chi

"I don't care Vegeta" said Chi-chi and she walked off to find Kakkarot, making sure she walked as royally as she could, so that all the other men would know she was better than them.

Bulma looked up at Vegeta and smiled slightly. He was holding a black duffel bag and was dressed in his blue spandex, it showed off every single one of his muscles, and he had yet to put his armour on, so she really did get the best view.

"Did you see what just happened?" asked Bulma.

"It was hard to miss" replied Vegeta with no emotion what so ever "are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I'm ok now, my head still hurts a little"

"Trust me woman, as soon as I get back, I'm going to beat that Zarbon into the ground". Bulma felt her heart leap. Did that mean he cared about her?"

"I don't think you should do that, Frieza wouldn't like that"

"I don't give a fuck what Frieza thinks. Nobody lays a finger on one of the few people I can stomach and gets away with it" with that Vegeta walked off and boarded the ship, like a few other men

***

"Hey is that guy alright?" asked Kakkarot, he was genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, he'll be ok. He just needs a few days of rest"

"And what about the girl?"

"I think she'll be okay, she suffered a bit more emotional damage than her brother"

Kakkarot was quiet for a few minutes while he though over what he had just witnessed. He looked over at the guys who had caused the damage, he was very pale and shaking, Kakkarot wondered how he would be able to go into battle and kill people, when he was acting like this and he had only wounded one.

Suddenly he saw Chi-chi pushing her way through the crowd to get to him.

"Hi" she said when she arrived.

"Hey Chi, I want you to meet my new friend, his name's Krillen". Chi-chi shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Kakkarot, that's my brother, remember, he was at my birthday party".

"Oh yeah," Kakkarot blushed "Sorry"

"It's ok" said Chi-chi.

"I'm gonna go board the ship now ok" said Krillen as he picked up his green bag and armour, "we're leaving in 5. See ya Chi".

"Yeah bye" she murmured. "Well I guess I'll see you when you get back huh?"

"Don't worry I haven't forgotten my promise.

"Good" she Chi-chi, "There's just one last thing I want to do before you go"

"What's that?" asked Kakkarot. Chi-chi smiled and stretched up onto her tiptoes, then she planted a kiss on Kakkarot's cheek. Kakkarot blushed a deep red and smiled at her, "Bye Chi" he said.

"Bye".

***

Bulma and Chi-chi stood in the courtyard looking up at the huge ship that contained the 450 men that were going to go and save their planet in a roundabout way. Bulma had her arm slung over Chi-chi's shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Chi-chi was looking up at one of the porthole windows, she could she Kakkarot smiling face, he was waving like an idiot, Chi-chi waved back and blushed when he blew her a kiss.

"Ooooh, somebody like you" teased Bulma.

"Shut up" said Chi-chi playfully.

Soon a loud hissing noise could be heard coming from the ship and smoke began to appear. Then the ship began to rise, it went up and up and up until it was no more than a speck in the sky.

"Well there they go" said Bulma as she began to head inside side, when she noticed Chi-chi wasn't following she stopped. "You coming?"

Chi-chi shook her head and blinked a few times. "Yeah" she said and she followed Bulma back inside the palace.

A/N; heavy stuff? What did you think? I'd love to know in a review. And if you feel like it check out my other new K/18 one shotter called 'Not For You'. Next update will be sooner than this one. ~D.B


	11. Dirty Work

Disclaimer; I still down own DBZ, but I do hate disclaimers

A/N; yay, I finally got a new chapter ready and up for you guys. I am sorry for taking so long, but I have been sooooo busy I have hardly had time to sleep let-a-lone write. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 10

Krillen was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, he didn't want to be here doing this, killing really wasn't something he enjoyed. The door creaked open and Krillen glanced toward the doorway to see who had just entered the sleeping quarters, he smiled when he saw it was Kakkarot, the two had become extremely close friends over the past few days. The vast nothingness of space really was a great place to make friends – and enemies.

"Hey" said Krillen as he sat up. Kakkarot walked over and rested his arms on the bed, it was a top bunk, just the right hight to lean on.

"Hi, I've been looking for you"

"Well you found me. What can I do for you?" asked Krillen.

"Eh nothing" replied Kakkarot. Krillen laughed. Kakkarot was dim-witted, but he was so much fun to be around. He was a real down to earth kinda guy and he knew how to have a good laugh. Plus he had the same view on killing as Krillen, which had made them instant best buddies.

"Do you know how much longer till we get there?" asked Krillen.

Kakkarot shrugged "I think I heard your brother saying something like 4 hours" Krillen groaned and pulled his pillow over his head.

They had already taken out one of the two planets Frieza had told them to, Sutek was now nothing more than dust and debris, Krillen felt horrible after that, even though he hadn't done much fighting. He spent his time tending to the wounded Sayians. And there had been a lot. The people of planet Sutek had possessed amazing fighting power and their power levels had almost averaged the Sayians. It had been a long hard battle, but they had come out Victorious. And now they were closing in on job number two.

Planet Kiasom.

Their people didn't have a lot of Ki, though they weren't weaklings. But the technology their planet possessed was amazing. They had just about every sort of gun you could imagine. Lasers, electro-beams, rays that turned you into a pile of dust. They had it all. Krillen gulped, he didn't want to be turned into a pile of dust, he wanted to make it home alive.

"Krillen...Krillen. Yo buddy, you still in there?" asked Kakkarot as he waved his hand in front of Krillens face.

"Yeah, I'm back" said Krillen, "I just tuned out for a second there".

"I know" said Kakkarot and he began to laugh, a few seconds later Krillen joined in to.

***

4 hours seemed to pass like 5 minutes and before they knew it the ship was preparing to land. Kakkarot felt nervous, or maybe he was just hungry, he wasn't really sure which it was. He did get hungry an awful lot, and several of the guys on the ship had already told him he ate about 10 times more than any normal Sayian

Krillen and Kakkarot walked into the briefing room and sat down with the rest of the men. A few minutes later one of the Elites walked to the front of the room. Everyone else fell silent. Krillen looked around, he saw his brother leaning against the door.

"Alright men. We're about to head out to planet Kiasom, remember; their technology is far beyond anything we have ever seen before, so beware. But also remember that we are stronger than they are and that there are more of us than there are of them. Their most vulnerable spots are the back of their heads and the base of their spine, so aim direct contact for these regions when possible. But beware the weapons, I can't stress that enough, stay away from the guns! We are going to have to outsmart these men, brut strength isn't going to do it this time. Hand to hand combat will help you, Ki blasts will be of great value, but you really need to use your brains for this one boys"

Everyone nodded their heads to show they understood then got up to leave the briefing room and get their spandex and armour on.

"I hope we can get this done quickly. I wanna go home" said Kakkarot as he pulled his armour over his head.

"You and me both" agreed Krillen

***

It was early morning on planet Vegeta, only a few people were awake and 18 was one of them. She yawned as she crept down the many halls towards the kitchen, her aim to steal a little food for her brother. She arrived at the kitchen and pushed the door open, there were two people inside. Sneaking inside, she quickly ducked and hid behind a counter. As quietly as possible, she began to pull open all the cupboards in search of food, but unfortunately, all she found was pots and pans. Crawling along she came to the pantry, there just had to be something in there she could take. Stretching up to reach the handle, she pulled at it, only to discover it wouldn't open, upon further inspection, she discovered it was locked.

"Dammit" she cussed under her breath. Then with one swift movement, she forced her fist down on the lock, shattering it into several pieces. The resulting crack got the attention of the cooks who quickly ran over to investigate the noises.

"Shit!" 18 quickly jumped up and ran into the pantry, not even looking at what she was taking, she grabbed as much food as she could fit into the small bad she was holding, and headed for the door. Only to be stopped by two very angry cooks, one holding a rolling pin and the other a rather large pot.

"Shit" she said again as she prepared to fight off the cooks. With a quick flick of her wrist, 18 formed a bright pink energy ball in her hand and threw it at the men, they jumped out the way of the blast, effectively clearing the way for 18. It didn't take them long to regain their senses though, and before 18 was even halfway to the door they were blocking the way. One of the men – the fatter one – was trying his best to sock 18 in the jaw, she was to quick for him though and she dodged his blows with out much trouble. The other guy was throwing random ki blasts at 18, not even bothering to aim, and it was because of his stupidity that 18 escaped the kitchen that morning. The fat cook aimed yet another punch for 18's head and just as she moved out of the way the other one threw a blast at 18. 18 had to snigger as she watched the blue beam hit the fat cook right in the head. Then she turned around and ran straight out of the kitchen.

A few minutes later she was safely back with all the other slaves, she pushed open the big wooden doors and slipped into the cold room. Walking into the center room, which they had decided to be the warmest since it had no windows, only doors leading to other rooms, she saw her brother. He was propped up on a rather large pile of hay, everyone had bundled it all up so 17 could rest on it comfortably. Tarie was sitting by his side holding his hand firmly in hers.

"Good morning brother dear," greeted 18 as she got down onto her knees. "Let's see what I have for you today". 17 smiled weakly at his sister, she was trying so hard to help him get well, giving every last scrap of food she could get her hands on to him. He wondered when his sister had last eaten.

"-And some bread, beans, something green, and biscuits" 17 tuned back in to hear his sister rattle off the last few items.

"Great" he said quietly. 17 watched as 18 broke the loaf of bread in half and he took it when offered, slowing chewing on it, he eventually ate it all.

"Tarie, you stay here and make sure he eats all of this ok. I have to go and do some work," 18 turned her attention to her brother then "I'll be back as soon as possible ok".

***

"Krillen!" shouted Kakkarot at the top of his lungs, "Get your ass over here pronto". Krillen looked up then rushed in the direction of Kakkarot's voice.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Over there" Kakkarot tilted his head and Krillen glanced in that general direction.

"You'll be alright" said Krillen as he scooped the wounded and very bloody Sayian up into his arms. He knew he wouldn't make it, but he wasn't about to tell him that. Krillen was just thankful he didn't know this one.

He was your typical Sayian, huge, long black hair and a brown fluffy tail. He coughed and spluttered and spat up sticky red blood all over Krillen, it didn't faze him thought, he was already covered in dry blood from head to toe.

"Tell my mate I love her" he said, and his eyes rolled back in his head, Krillen felt his body go limp. Shutting his eyes and sighing, Krillen took the latest casualty to the ship for identification. He felt horrible having to do this, how many more innocent Sayians would have to die at the hands of Frieza?

Nine horrifying hours later, the Sayians were believed to have won. The only Ki they could sense were that of the other surviving Sayians. One by one they all filed back on to the ship, and Krillen felt a huge wave of relief wash over him when he spotted his brother stroll casually through the door, also covered in blood.

"C'mon Krillen, let's hit the showers" came Kakkarot's weary voice from somewhere behind him. Krillen blinked himself back into reality and turned to follow his friend down the hall.

***

18 looked up at the clock on the wall and sighed, it was almost 3 and with the amount of crap Chi-chi had demanded she do, she wasn't going to be finished until after dark. Suddenly 18 heard a loud frustrated groan coming from the other side of the room. 18 looked across at Chi-chi who was sitting on her bed with a huge book in front of her. She wondered what she was looking for, but didn't dare ask, to talk to her mistress before being spoken to would be like asking to be hung.

Almost another hour passed, and 18 was still busy, vacuuming, dusting, putting away Chi-chi's clean clothes. All the things a normal 20-year-old should have been perfectly capable of doing herself. Chi-chi was still reading that damn book. Suddenly Chi-chi snapped her head up and jumped of the bed, in a second she was gone. 18 could only stare stupidly out the window, for she felt it to. The sudden influx of Ki, it could only mean one thing. The men were back from battle, and it had only been 6 days! She wondered – but didn't really care – who had made it back alive.

*** 

"B, wait up" called Chi-chi as she raced towards the palace doors to Bulma who was a few metres ahead, Bulma stopped and waited, then they both quickly made their way out to the landing bay. Just as they pushed the doors open, the ship touched the ground, Chi-chi felt her heart beat quicken as she awaited Kakkarot's return.

It wasn't long before the king had come out of his office to greet his men as well, he was glad they were back, it was a welcome distraction from having to deal with Frieza and his stupid goons.

"Chi-chi dear, shouldn't you be inside?" asked the king, in his usual, deep gruff voice.

"No papa" said Chi-chi, she didn't take her eyes off the ships doors as she watched them slide open. One by one, the tired, dirty and very blood covered men filed out and Chi-chi felt her heart sink as none of them were Kakkarot.

Then she saw him!

Kakkarot popped his head out the door, looked around and began his descent down the ramp, continuing his conversation with Krillen the entire time. Her heart skipped a beat or 6 and without even thinking about it, she ran over to greet him.

"I was wondering how much longer you were going to be" said Chi-chi. Kakkarot quickly waved goodbye to Krillen before replying, "Sorry I took so long".

Chi-chi seemed to take in his scent and appearance then. "Look at you, your filthy" she said. All Kakkarot could do was shrug his shoulders in a sort of I-can't-help-it way.

"Well you can't go out in public looking like that," said Chi-chi, "C'mon, you're having a shower".

***

The throne room was being inundated with phone calls from angry and confused royalty from other planets, as well as importance from their own. King Vegeta sat at the table taking call after call trying to explain himself and his action, in the end he gave up. Slamming the phone down after a call, he quickly stood up, causing the chair he had been sitting on to topple to the floor. All the men and women in the room looked up.

"Here is what's is going to happen," boomed the king to all the people he had helping take calls. "We are not taking anymore calls. Instead, you are going to invite everyone here, so I can explain to everyone in person. And I want everyone here. Understood?" There was a murmured response as everyone returned to their business and the king stormed out the room.

***

18 opened her eyes, rolled over and groaned.

"Crap" she muttered as she sat up. She had fallen asleep on Chi-chi's floor, she was just thankful Chi-chi hadn't come in, or else it would have been more than likely that she never woke up. Standing up and running her hand through her sleep tousled hair she walked over to the door and quickly left the room.

She made her way down the her way down the halls, she noticed that they were unusually busy for this time of night, no one was having a party or dinner tonight, because she would have working her butt off all day preparing for it. But she looked around and could see lots of people, all dressed in expensive coats and furs. Most of them weren't even from Vegeta-sei. Then finally she saw someone she recognised, he saw her too and signalled for her to come over to him.

"What's going on?" asked 18.

"Let's go outside and talk there". 18 agreed and they made their way outside to the big patio where Chi-chi had had her birthday party.

"It's much nicer out here" said Krillen, who unlike everyone else inside wasn't dressed all fancy, in-fact, 18 was pretty sure he was in his pyjamas.

"What's going on in there?" 18 repeated her question.

"My father seems to have pissed off half the universe by doing what Frieza told him to, there are a lot un-happy races in there which my father needs to talk to, so he's holding a big meeting," explained Krillen. "So how's your brother?"

18 shrugged her shoulders "He's alive. He's got no good food to eat to help nourish him, he has no bed to sleep on to help keep him comfortable and his wound doesn't even have a bandage on it". Krillens eyes widened in shock, exactly how bad were they treated down there?

"Could you take me to him?" asked Krillen kindly. Now it was 18's turn to look shocked. Why the hell would you want to go down there of your own free will? It was cold, had no electricity, smelt worse than anything this side of hell and was home to lots of mice and rats.

"Are you serious?" asked 18.

"Yes".

She shrugged her shoulder and stood up, "You coming or not?". Krillen quickly jumped up and followed her, not really sure what to expect when he got there.

***

"Excuse me," No one heard. "Excuse me" he repeated himself, this time getting the attention of the room.

"Thank-you," said the King. "Now I'm sure you all have a lot of bad thing to say to me, and I can assure you, I don't blame you. But please, before you start throwing pitchforks at me, let me explain my self.

I'm sure every one of you is aware of Lord Frieza and his amazing power and I'm sure you all fear the worst for your planets when he arrives on them, and as you know Vegeta-sei has had much trouble with him in the past. Well this time I didn't plan on risking my peoples lives though I know now there were better ways to go about it and believe me, I wish I didn't do what I did, but there is no way to change it now. I know you hate me right at the moment, but I promise you nothing like this will happen in the future, I value you all as my allies and my friends and the Sayian race is going to extreme measures to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. There is going to be a memorial service held in their honour. I am deeply regretting my decision, and I will be for many years to come, but I am asking you to forgive my mistake and remain within the allegiance. Everyone makes mistakes you know. Now is there any questions?" asked the King.

The room was silent for a few minutes as people thought over what the king had just said. Then all in one second, 60 or 70 hands shot up. The king raised an eyebrow and groaned, this was going to be a long night.

***

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked 18 sceptically.

"Yes" replied Krillen curtly. 18 shrugged her shoulder "Ok," she said "Hope you're not afraid of rats".

Krillen face paled considerable and 18 smirked at him. _'Rats'_ he thought _'oh no!'_

They arrived at the big wooden doors, which were easily 4 times taller than 18, and almost 20cm's thick, they were very big, very heavy doors. 18 had to lean against them and push as hard as she could just to open them. "Here we go" she said as they stepped inside.

Krillen almost died, no Sayian could live in here, in was repulsive, he'd only taken one step inside and already he felt sick.

The entire complex was made of blue-grey cobblestone and was very very cold, there was a thick layer of dust and dirt covering everything and Krillen couldn't see a bed, shower or food anywhere.

"Come, I'll take you to 17, that is, if you think you can handle it"

Krillen nodded his head dumbly, he'd come this far and he wasn't turning back now. He looked up and saw that 18 was already halfway across the room and quickly followed her. He was lead through a few more rooms before he saw 17.

18 walked over to him and kneeled beside him, feeling his forehead in the process. He was hot.

"Here ya go, drink this" said 18. As she held a dark ceramic pot to his lips, another women helped him to sit up, and slowly he took a few sips of the liquid inside. Next 18's small hands travel down to her brothers stomach where there was a big open wound, it was a little yellow around the edges and it was weeping.

"Tarie, did you get something clean?" asked 18 quietly, never lifting her eyes from her brother.

"Yeah" replied the women and she help up a piece of blue cloth. 18 took it and with little effort ripped it in half, she wet one half, folded it and put it across her brother's forehead. Then she took the other half and began to mop of the gunk around 17's wound. It was disgusting work, but someone had to do it.

Krillen took a few more steps forward, he crouched down beside 18 and watched her carefully go about her work.

"Where's Nison?" she asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"Over here". 18 briefly looked up, she hadn't noticed he had been in the room the whole time.

After a few minutes 18 stopped, she re-positioned herself so she was more comfortable, and looked Krillen in the eyes.

"So, what do think, now you've seen how we live first hand?" asked 18.

Krillen felt like a tiny insect under her scrutinising glare, but he had to answer her. "It's appalling, absolutely disgraceful. I am going to be having words to my father about this, I can assure you. You're not going to live like this anymore, I promise you ".

Krillen saw the brief look of surprise in 18's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a look of doubt.

"Don't lie to me Krillen"

"I'm not"

"I don't believe you"

"Why not?"

"Because weather you have befriends me or not, you are still royalty, and you are all the same" she sneered.

Krillen felt his heart sink, so that was how she really felt about him. He was sure she knew him better than that, but he was obviously wrong.

"Ok," he said quietly as he slowly stood up. "If that's how you feel, I'll go".

He turned and left the room, feeling terrible, he pulled open the door and headed down the hall, then he heard footsteps behind him.

"Krillen wait!"

A/N; Ooooh, what's she gonna say to him? You'll have to wait till next time to find out ~D.B


	12. A Good Deed

A/N; I do not own DBZ. And I hate Disclaimers, such a big waste of time, OF COURSE NONE OF US OWN DBZ!

A/N; I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter, but I have been super busy lately, but to make up for it, here is a nice long chapter for you guys. And thank-you to everyone who is reviewing this fic, it means a lot to me.

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 11

"Krillen wait". Krillen stopped and turned around to face 18.

"Yeah?" he asked quietly, obviously still hurt.

"Krillen I'm sorry I snapped at you, I don't really think of you like that. It's just, I'm having a bit of a hard time at the moment that's all. Forgive me, please" she begged, suddenly her legs gave out from underneath her and she fell to her knees.

Krillen walked over and kneeled down in front of her, he dared to take her hands and give them a gentle squeeze, knowing full well she wasn't the type of woman who liked emotions or affection.

"Of course I forgive you, how could I not? 18 you've got to understand that I want to help you and your friends, please, let me help you".

18 could only nod her head meekly, she was too weak to do anything else, lack of food was really starting to get to her.

"Good," Krillen smiled. "The first thing I'm going to do is get some antiseptic and bandages for your brother. I'll be right back ok".

18 nodded again, then she watched as he stood up and walked off. 18 soon as he was out of sight she breathed a sigh of relief, then her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.

***

Bulma pulled a pair of faded blue overalls over her black tank top and picked up her pink toolbox. She was on her way to do some work in the G.R, since some one had broken it – again.

"Hey B" Bulma heard Chi-chi call form down the hall, she stopped and waited for Chi-chi to catch up, then they both headed down the hall.

"So where you headed?" asked Bulma.

"To see papa" Chi-chi rolled her eyes as she spoke and Bulma had to laugh. Her friend had such a spilt personality, one minute she could be sweet as pie, and the next as evil as the devil himself, there was just no telling what kind of a mood she would be in.

The chit-chatter continued for another 3 or so minutes as the girls made their way down the many big fancy corridors of the palace, it was Bulma who came to her stop first, she said bye to Chi-chi then entered the room which contained the G.R.

As usual Vegeta was in there. Bulma banged on the window for a good 5 minutes before Vegeta noticed she was there, and when he finally opened the door, she wasn't in a good mood.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" Bulma repeated, "I'm here to fix your stupid G.R that's what"

"Ok, fine, whatever," Vegeta was in no mood to argue with her now "How long will it take".

"Come back in an hour".

Vegeta stomped off out the room, Bulma briefly wondered where he went, but dismissed it quickly and set to work on the G.R.

Vegeta wanted the gravity increased again, to her it seemed that every 3 weeks he wanted his stupid gravity increased.

She dropped her pink toolbox to the ground with a very loud thud, which echoed through the whole room, then she dropped to her knees beside the box, opened it up and began to pull out random tools. Spanner, hammer, drills she had it all. At long last she found the one item she had been looking for, right at the bottom of the box, she used the chisel to pry open the metal panel on the floor, then she slipped into the hole she had revealed in the floor.

***

"Father how long has it been since you visited the slave quarters?" Krillen asked. The king looked at his youngest son oddly, but answered his question anyway.

"A good few years since I've actually been in there, I'd say about 7 or 8".

"Have you seen the living conditions down there? No Sayian should have to live the way they do". The king's loud deep laugh echoed through out the throne room, as he tried to make sense of what Krillen was saying.

"Krillen my boy, the slaves living conditions are of no importance to us, they are nothing more than the reject Sayians who's only purpose is to serve us. You need not concern yourself about slaves, what they think and feel is not important".

Krillen was fuming, how could his father be so heartless, turning on his heel, he stormed out the room, slamming the door behind him.

He quickly arrived at his room, and picked up the phone, grabbing a phone book as well, he took them both down to the kitchen.

Krillen had a plan.

***

"17, 17 are you awake?" 18's gentle voice slowly woke him up and brought him back into the real world.

"Mmm" he mumbled. 18 smiled softly, it hurt to do much more than that, after passing out the previous night, she had smashed her head on the ground, now there was a nasty bump on her head, and since nobody knew where Nison was, she had to put up with it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she helped him to sit up.

"Better," he replied weakly "Still a bit sore though". Krillen had brought him some bandages and already he was showing signs of healing. She reached out to touch the pre-mentioned wound, but 17 stopped her.

"Don't touch it" he said.

"Ok. Do you think you'll be able to get up soon?" asked 18. "You've been laying there for almost 2 weeks".

17 shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno". 18 reached out and brushed her brother's hair back off his face, then she began to gently stroke his forehead, just like she remembered their mother used to do when they had been young.

"17?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the night we came here?" 18 asked, the memories of that night still sharp in her mind. 17 shuddered, how could he forget "Of course I do".

"We were so scared and young," 18 paused for a minute "and innocent" she was referring to herself with the last part, and how she was very obviously not innocent at all anymore. Everything she did, she did with a certain grace that only a harem girl could achieve. The way she walked, and talked and the way she danced. 17 had seen her dance a few times before and it was an amazing thing to watch, it wasn't the type of dancing you would expect a harem girl to know how to do. It was more of a ballet kind of dancing, the type you had to take lessons for years and years to be able to do.

"Do you ever miss mama?" 18 sounded like the 11 year old she used to be.

"Everyday," said 17 "every single day".

"Father is a bad bad man. Isn't he? Nobody else is like him are they?" 17 eyes widened, was his sister really doubting their 'fathers' evilness.

"18 out father is a terrible man and you know that, the things he did were wrong. There is no one on the face of this planet as evil and horrible as him. Tell me you believe me".

"The king and his eldest son are bad men to". 17 didn't know what to make of all this, this wasn't his present day sister in front of him, this was his 11 year old sister.

"18, snap out of it, you know damn well that no one can compare to our father" 18 blinked a few times and looked her brother right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I could hear me, but not control me. I guess it must be from the bump on my head". She stood up. "Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

"I'm fine" said 17.

"Ok I'm gonna go outside and take a walk"

***

Chi-chi had detoured the kitchen on the way to see her father and she was only just arriving now.

"Hi daddy, you asked for me?" Chi-chi said sweetly as she approached her fathers throne. She wasn't sure if she had been caught doing something naughty or not, so she had decided on a sweet and innocent act. She had even planned out her clothing, a flowing white skirt that fell to her knees and a soft pink tank top.

"Ah Chi-chi dear, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you"

'Kakkarot!' Chi-chi's heart rate quickened 'Please not Kakkarot'

"It's about Kakkarot"

"What about Kakkarot?" Chi-chi demanded to know.

"Don't worry, it's nothing major, he's still alive if that's what you're worried about. He's become unwell, I though you should know".

"Thank-you daddy. Would it be appropriate for me to go and visit him?"

"I think that would be a lovely thing for you to do".

She walked out the room and down the hall, practically getting undressed as she went. She arrived at her room and quickly changed into something more comfortable – a pair of dark blue jeans and a black singlet top, then grabbing her favourite apron she headed towards the kitchen to make Kakkarot some soup. Not many people knew that Chi-chi loved to cook, and that she was excellent at it as well.

***

Nappa pushed open the door to the training complex and headed towards the G.R, swinging his towel around in circles as he went, he entered the G.R and locked the door behind him.

"Hmm, that's odd," he said when he noticed the panel on the floor was open, he quickly shut it with his foot and walked over to the control panel.

Under the G.R Bulma suddenly noticed it got dark, thinking it was only someone realising the lights were on and no one was training she rested her spanner on her stomach and wriggle her way along the narrow tunnel. There was only enough room to lie flat on you front or back, she was glad she wasn't a fat person, or else she would have been trapped underneath the G.R forever.

Nappa programmed the G.R to 275 times normal gravity. That would be a decent work out. The lights flickered, but Nappa paid no attention to it, the machine made a buzzing noise as the programmed voice of the G.R spoke.

"Raising gravity level to 275 times normal" Nappa rubbed his huge hands together and dropped to a fighting stance.

"Oh shit" screamed Bulma, as she began to pound on the section of the floor that should have been open.

All of a sudden Bulma's entire being felt like it was being crushed, her hands fell to her sides with a loud thud and the spanner on her stomach suddenly felt like it weighed a tonne. Bulma couldn't yell, couldn't cry, she couldn't even breathe. How was anyone ever going to know she was down here before it was to late. Panic and fear seized her and hot salty tears formed at the corner of her eyes, she was scared, so very scared. Her vision was getting fuzzy and her lungs were beginning to burn from lack of oxygen, and her arms and legs were going numb. She felt several of her ribs crack under the weight of the spanner.

__

'This is not a good situation!' her mind screamed at her _'DO SOMETHING!'_

The spanner. Maybe if Bulma could just get it off her some of the breathing difficulties would subside and she would be able to inhale some much needed air. But try as she might, she couldn't get her arms off the ground, it was like a couple of 20 tonne brick's were sitting on top of her.

The burning sensation was getting more and more unbearable and she couldn't stand another second of it, she didn't want to give up, but it hurt to damn much to keep trying.

With thoughts of her family in her head, Bulma passed out

Vegeta looked at his watch, it had only been 20 minutes, why the hell was Nappa training in the G.R, there was no way Bulma could be finished, her repairs never ever took less than 45 minutes. Suddenly a horrible feeling invaded Vegeta's stomach, something definitely wasn't right.

Upon finding the door to the G.R was locked, Vegeta blasted his way in.

"Gravity returning to normal" spoke the slow robotic voice.

"Where is she?" demanded Vegeta, he sounded furious. Nappa looked extremely confused. "Who sir?" he asked.

"The woman who was making the repairs" he snarled by way of reply.

"The was a woman making repairs?".

Vegeta's eyes darted around the room, they very quickly came to rest on the panel on the floor, racing over to it, he lifted it up, only to be sickened at what he saw.

He had found Bulma all right, but she sure didn't look like Bulma.

"Fuck" Vegeta cussed at he hauled her out of her floor. Her face was on it's way to being purple and he could tell from the swelling and blood stains on her overalls that she had at least 2 broken ribs. This was not good.

"How could you be so stupid Nappa?!"

"I....I...I didn't know she was down there sir". Vegeta wasted no time, he layed Bulma in the correct position and began to preform CPR on her. It was something all Sayians were trained in at a very young age, being a warrior race, it was considered a very important part of their education"

As soon as Bulma's face was back to normal, Vegeta picked her up and as fast as he possibly could, rushed her down to the infirmary.

***

"What are you looking at?"

"Definitely not you, I have better things to do".

Chi-chi's eyes widened and she quickly turned back to her task before she threw her brother out the window. Never – not once, had Krillen answered her back, he usually just shrugged his shoulders or mumbled an apology, how was it that he had suddenly gotten so much courage?

"Where is that damn thermos?" mumbled Chi-chi as she rummaged through the kitchen cupboards. Eventually she found the elusive silver container and she poured the content of the pot she had on the stove into it. Then, without another word, she stormed out the kitchen.

Krillen rolled his eyes and shook his head, how was it that he was so unlucky as to have his brother and sister for a brother and sister, what had he ever done to deserve it?

Oh well, no use worrying about what couldn't be changed anyway. He had better ways to use his time. Looking at his watch, he decided he had time for a short walk in the garden before the delivery van arrived.

***

Chi-chi looked up the big house, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few minutes later she heard muffled voices from the other side and the door was opened.

"Oh hi Chi-chi, how have you been. I was feeling sick, but I'm much better now". Turles tried not to laugh as he faked his brother. Chi-chi would surely fall for it, after all they were identical twins. Why should Kakkarot get to have all the fun with the hot princess?

Chi-chi took a step into the house and looked the man in front of her from top to bottom, then she quickly dismissed him.

"You're not my Kakkarot".

Turles sweat-dropped and rubbed his head in confusion, "How'd you know?". Chi-chi turned back to him and smiled wryly, "Simple really," she said "Kakkarot is much more handsome then you" Turles eyes bulged outward, then he growled angrily.

"Fine," he said in defeat, "Let me show you to him"

Turles lead Chi-chi up the huge staircase and down a big hall that was covered with big fancy oil painting.

"In there" said Turles and he pointed to a door, Chi-chi thanked him and entered the room.

Inside it was dark and it didn't smell too fantastic. Chi-chi spotted Kakkarot lying on the bed in the corner of the room and she moved over to him. He didn't look good at all, he was pale and his usually spiky hair was hanging limp around his face. Upon resting her hand on his forehead, Chi-chi discovered he had a slight fever, yet when she took hold of his hand, it was cold and clammy.

"Kakkarot can you hear me?" Chi-chi asked, being sure to use her most soothing tone of voice. Kakkarot's eyes opened slowly and he smiled up at Chi-chi, "Hi" he mumbled.

"Papa told me you weren't well, I made you some soup. But if you're not up to eating it now, I can just out it aside".

Kakkarot did something that somewhat resembled laughing and he sat up as best he could, "Chi, since when am I not up to eating?" he asked quietly. Chi-chi laughed and opened the thermos, then she pulled a bowl and spoon out her bag – she always came prepared.

"Ok, tell me if it's to hot" she said as she held the spoon up to his lips.

"Wow, it must have been good, you ate it all," said Chi-chi as she peered into the now empty thermos "do you feel any better?"

"Much" said Kakkarot as he licked his lips. Chi-chi smiled. "Being fed something that delicious by someone as beautiful as you has got to make anyone feel better". Chi-chi blushed a shade of pink and turned away so Kakkarot wouldn't see, "You're so sweet" she said. 

It didn't take long for Chi-chi's soup and presence to ware off, and Kakkarot began to feel sick again, but Chi-chi stayed with him. One hand holding his considerably larger one and the other gently stroking the hair back off his forehead, it didn't take long for Kakkarot to doze off again.

About 10 minutes later the door creaked open, Chi-chi quickly snapped her head up to see who was intruding. It was Kakkarot's mother, Neha.

"Ah Chi-chi, I wasn't aware you were here" said Neha, a pleasant smile on her face. She took another step into the room, and another man followed her, he was holding a black bag, so Chi-chi assumed him to be a doctor.

"Would you like me to leave?" asked Chi-chi.

"If you wouldn't mind waiting in the hall, that would be great" replied Neha. Chi-chi nodded and gave Kakkarot's hand one last gentle squeeze, then she left the room.

A few minutes later Neha stepped out as well.

"How is he?" asked Chi-chi.

Neha could only shrug her shoulders, "I don't know, he's been getting worse and worse for days now" her voice was quiet and shaky, she was really fearing the worst for her youngest son. Chi-chi took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Neha's shoulders "He'll be alright Mrs.Son. I'm gonna make sure of it"

***

No, none of this was really happening. It couldn't be, he was going to let it happen, it just wasn't possible.

Vegeta felt his knees get weak and he stumbled backwards, only to hit the wall. He watched on in absolute shock as a team of the palaces top doctors and nurses zapped Bulma and hooked her up to all sorts of machines.

"Clear!" one of them, shouted, and he saw Bulma's limp body jump of the bed.

"Heart rate stabilising" one of the nurses said, then she walked over to Vegeta and led him out into the quiet hall.

"Your friend is gonna be ok for now," she said "have you informed her parents, or would you like me to?"

__

'Shit' thought Vegeta, the woman's mother was enough of a pain in the butt when you didn't have horrible news to tell her. "No I'll do it," he said "will she be ok until I get back?". The nurse nodded her head and smiled warmly at Vegeta.

He arrived at the door and knocked, suddenly there was a rather large lump in his throat.

"I'm coming" came Mrs.Briefs bubble voice from the other side of the door. "Oh hello, if you're after your sister, she's not here".

"No, I'm here about Bulma, is your husband in?"

Mrs.Briefs usual happy visage disappeared, "Sure, come on in, I'll go get him"

5 minutes later, Mr and Mrs. Briefs were sitting anxiously on the couch. Vegeta stood in front of them and for about the 2nd time in his life, he was nervous.

"Well I'm not going to beat around the bush, Bulma was in an accident in the G.R. She's in the hospital now. Her heart stopped, but the doctors managed to start it again" Vegeta spoke clearly and slowly. Why did it have to be him doing this? Bulma was his sisters friend and he had no feeling s for her...Did he?.

Tears welled in Mrs.Briefs eyes and she griped tightly onto her husband's hand, "Is she ok?" she asked as big fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her little girl couldn't die, her heart couldn't just stop. She had already lost one daughter and she didn't think she could stand to loose another.

"Come, I'll take you to her" said Vegeta and he left the room. Two very worried parents following behind him.

***

"Are you stalking me or it is just by chance we keep meeting like this?"

"Chance"

"Oh, not in a talkative mood today?"

"No"

Krillen sighed and sunk to the ground, underneath a big shandy tree, "How's your brother?"

"Alive".

Rubbing the back of his head Krillen looked up at the brilliant blue sky, it looked just like her eyes. Yes he was falling for her, and in a big way.

"Listen 18, I know you're probably gonna kill me for this--"

"Then don't do it"

Krillen didn't even stop to listen to 18's comment, he just kept right on talking "but I brought you a gift. Well it's for all of your friends as well"

Now he had her attention

"What have you done Krillen?" she asked.

"Come with me and I'll show you"

She followed him inside the palace and down many halls. Until the eventually reached Krillen's room. 18 was confused, what were they doing here, and what was Krillen thinking, trying to help the slaves. If the king found out, he would be toast. 18 felt her heart beat faster at the thought of not being able to see Krillen anymore and she felt like slapping herself. _'Cut it out 18, you are a grown women and you most definitely do not need a man to complicate your fucked up life anymore than it already is!'_.18 double blinked, her subconscious had a point, but she pushed the thought right to the back of her mind where she wouldn't have to think about it, it was her life and if she wanted to screw it up then she would.

"Here you go. These are for you" said Krillen as he handed 18 a cardboard box full of capsules.

"Capsules" 18 muttered to herself, then she looked Krillen directly in the eyes, "What are these for?"

"Take them downstairs and find out then. I'll bring you the rest of your gift tonight"

18 nodded her head, she was eager to see what was in the capsules, which there was a hell of a lot of, the box was almost over flowing- and it was a big box! She briefly smiled at Krillen, before disappearing out the room.

***

"17!," called 18 as she pushed open the doors "You here?"

"Of course I am" called out 17. 18 shook her head – she should of known that. She walked into the room and saw 17, Tarie and Nison.

"What you got there?" asked Nison.

"What this?" 18 shook the box "No idea, it's a present for us from Krillen of all people"

"Well are you gonna pop one open or not?" asked 17, just as eager as his sister to find out what it was.

"Alright," said 18 as she put the box on the ground and pulled out one lucky capsule and threw it to the ground.

The was a bang and a small could of smoke which quickly cleared.

"Oh my..." mumbled 18

"Hmmm" was the response earned from 17.

"Oh my God" Squealed Tarie as she jumped up off the ground and landed straight on the brand new, perfectly made bed.

A rather large smile broke onto 18's face as she realised just what Krillen had done for them all. Beds! He'd gone out and brought every single one of them a bed to sleep on! It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for them.

How could she ever thank him enough? Well she could think of a few ways, but they weren't very appropriate, 7 years in the harem had corrupted her mind.

***

A/N; He he he, 18 has a sick sick mind. And poor Bulma, will she be ok? Find out next time in And Then You'll Know! ~D.B


	13. Make It Stop

Disclaimer;..........I still don't own DBZ....BooHoo

A/N; Well here is chapter 12. I don't really have a lot to say about it, 'cept sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoy it. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 12

The door creaked open and a lone figure stepped inside. Quickly turning on his torch he briefly shone it around the room. It was empty, except for a rather large pile of hay that was. Smiling to himself, Krillen quickly made his way into the next room. Being carefully not to wake the many Sayians enjoying their first good nights sleep in many many years.

It didn't take long for him to find 18, she was snuggled up under the covers in a warm bed, which was next to her brothers, who wasn't alone in his bed. Smiling and shaking his head, Krillen turned his attention back to the stunning blonde sleeping beneath him.

God she was beautiful, even more so when she slept. Her face was void of its usual harshness, instead she looked like a helpless child and Krillen had to fight against the overwhelming urge to bend down and touch her.

Krillen was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of 18 groaning lightly and rolling over.

"18 wake up" said Krillen as she gently nudged her shoulder.

"Mmm, what it is? What's wrong?" she mumbled, thought Krillen got the feeling she was still 95 per cent asleep.

"18, it's me, Krillen".

Slowly 18's eyes fluttered open and she sat up a little, her hair was all messed up and her face had that all over sleepy look on it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"I've brought the rest of your present"

18 shook her head and looked up at Krillen, "No, you've already done more than enough for us. Go back to bed"

Krillen took a calculated risk and sat down beside her. "18, I want to do this for you. Please" Krillen practically begged.

"Ok, go ahead. Waste your life away on us".

"Oh 18, it's not a waste. I know people don't treat you the way you deserve to be, but don't think that you don't have the right to live a normal life and be loved, because you do, trust me" said Krillen.

"OK," 18 was more awake now. "Where is this present of yours?"

"It's out in the hall, but I'm gonna need your help to bring it in"

"Ok," said 18 and she threw the covers off the bed and stood up. Krillen almost died right there on the spot. 18 was dressed in a her usual short, dirty ripped tee-shirt, that was supposed to white but was more of a yellowy brown and a pair of skimpy black panties. 18 didn't seem to notice his staring. Blinking himself back into reality, he followed 18 out into the hall.

"Surprise" said Krillen, he watched the reaction on 18's face as she admired the boxes and baskets of food that seemed to cover most of the floor. "What do you think?"

"I think you are an idiot," remarked 18. Krillens face fell. "The most best idiot I have ever met". His smile returned.

"I couldn't bring any cold items, since you don't have electricity or a fridge down here and I think my father would notice if I got electricity installed.

"Krillen you've done more than enough for us already. I don't think we can accept this".

"What? Of course you can accept it. It's a gift" explained Krillen. 

18 shrugged her shoulders. If Krillen really wanted her to take it, then who was she to turn down perfectly good food. She needed it, and so did her brother, and Tarie, and Nison. They all needed a decent meal, so why be stupid and say no?

"Alright then," she said as she picked up a basket of fruit "Are you gonna help me bring it all in?"

"Of course I am" replied Krillen with a smile.

30 minutes later, all the food was in, and everyone was up, and digging in to the food like they hadn't eaten in weeks, which in most cases was true.

18 sat beside her brother, who had made the effort to get out of bed for the first time in weeks, and on the other side of her was Krillen.

"Please," offered 18 "Help yourself".

Krillen shook his head. "No, this is for you and your friends. I have plenty more upstairs".

"Alright then, but just as long as you know, your more than welcome to".

***

It was late when Chi-chi crept into the palace, she had stayed with Kakkarot longer than she had intended to.

Quickly and quietly she ran down the halls towards the living quarters, she was almost to her bedroom, when she ran into Vegeta. The first things she noticed about him – he looked like crap.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?" asked Chi-chi as she noted his miserable expression.

"We need to talk, something's happened" he replied.

"What? What's going on"

"It's about Bulma"

Chi-chi rushed down the halls, towards the medical wing, her heart was beating fast. Vegeta had told her all about her best friends accident and she just had to go and see her. She burst into the room and shortly after burst into tears.

Bulma was laying on the hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of tubes and wires. The various monitors around her were displaying things that Chi-chi didn't understand. The whole scene was just too much for her. Slowly making her way over to the bed, she took in the situation, this just really wasn't her day.

She heard the door creak and spun around to see the doctor.

"Ah, princess Chi-chi, hello"

"What's wrong with my friend?!" Chi-chi demanded to know. The smile faded off the doctor's face and he put his clipboard down.

"Well," he began. "Miss Briefs has some major tissue damage, 3 cracked ribs, her lungs were crushed. This machine," the doctor tapped something with his pen "Is helping her to breathe at the moment"

"Is she gonna be ok?" asked Chi-chi as she sat down

"We think she is, but it's still to early to tell"

Chi-chi looked down at her friend and her eyes welled up with tears again. This wasn't right. Bulma couldn't die, they'd been best friends forever.

Her blue hair was hanging lose and limp around her face and her usually darkish skin was now extremely pale, and her hands where cold, so very cold. How would she ever manage to survive this?

Suddenly Chi-chi felt sick, she couldn't stand to see Bulma like this any longer. She was going to vomit, she just knew it. Standing up, she turned and ran out the room, knocking the chair over with a loud thud. She hardly made it out into the hall before she fell to her knees, she felt her stomach contact and she threw up all over the floor.

"Miss Chi-chi!" called a young female doctor as she came rushing over to her, "Are you ok?"

"Can I have a glass of water?" asked Chi-chi quietly as she stood up. She could already see one of the med wings cleaner's coming to clean up the mess she had made.

"Here you go" said the nurse as she handed Chi-chi a cool glass of water, "Now why don't you come and sit down for a while"

***

It wasn't until almost a week later he saw her again. He wasn't sure if she was avoiding him or if they just hadn't been in the same place at the same time.

Well now was as good a time as any to ask her. "18"

The blonde haired girl looked up when she heard her name being called, she smiled briefly before turning back to the big pile of clothing she had to wash.

Krillen picked up his washing basket and carried it over to the sink next to 18, turning on the tap, he left the big basin fill with cold water.

"I haven't seen you around for a while" said Krillen in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Been busy" muttered 18. Krillen noticed how hard she was scrubbing his sisters green top, any more and she would scrub a hole in it!

"What's wrong?" he asked.

18 blinked, how had he known something was wrong. Damn him, damn him and the fact hat he knew her so well. She'd let her guard down and he'd gotten to close, now she was stuck with him.

"Everything's wrong" she replied.

"Everything. That's a lot of things. Why don't you start from the top and tell me?" suggested Krillen.

"You'll listen?" asked 18.

"Of course. I'm never to busy for you my dear" the last two words slipped out by mistake and he waited for 18 to thump him, but she didn't.

"Well I guess it's just one big thing" began 18, as she pulled the green top out the basin and put in a long white skirt. "It's my friend Astrid. She's old, and very sick. I don't think she's gonna get over it and I guess I'm scared, because she's the last connection I have to my mother"

"Well maybe there's something I can do to help. How about I come down later?"

18 only shrugged her shoulders. "It's up to you" she said. She watched as Krillen tipped everything in his washing basket into the basin at once.

"You'll run the colours" warned 18

"Oh well, no biggie. I got lots more clothes". 18's face fell, whether Krillen realised it or not, he was royal – no matter how much he tried to deny it.

18 pulled the skirt out the water, it was the last item, she quickly pegged them on the drying line and headed back into the palace, only giving a very brief "Bye" to Krillen.

***

"What do you think of this one B?" asked Chi-chi as she held up a very expensive, silk red shirt.

"It's nice," agreed Bulma "It'll go with your pants".

"Ok, then that's that decided" she Chi-chi and she slipped on the shirt and pulled on a pair of black leather pants. "How long till Kakkarot will be here?" she asked.

Bulma looked down at her watch "5 minutes ago" she replied.

Chi-chi looked at her friend. She was so glad she had woken up and was getting well again, she was still in the hospital, but she was well on her way to a full, healthy recovery. "Ok," said Chi-chi as she capsulised all the other clothing she had brought down "I'll leave this with you till I get back. Don't die on me ok" warned Chi-chi, then with a quick hug for Bulma, she was gone.

She arrived at the top of the staircase and looked down, she could she Kakkarot standing at the bottom, dressed in dark jeans, a white tank top and an unbuttoned blue shirt over the top. She could tell he was nervous by the way that his tail was twitching. She began her graceful decent of the grand stairs and waved happily when he saw her.

"Hi, you look good" greeted Chi-chi.

Kakkarot bent over and planted a kiss on Chi-chi's cheek "You look beautiful" he replied. Chi-chi blushed and giggled.

"So are you ready to go?" asked Kakkarot.

"I sure am" replied Chi-chi as she picked up her purse and jacket, then she followed Kakkarot out the front door.

Around 10 minutes later they arrived in a part of town that was neither too casual nor too classy. Kakkarot took a deep breath and took hold of Chi-chi's hand, she was a bit shocked, but she didn't pull away. The pair walked hand in hand down the busy shopping strip, stopping to look in the ones that looked interesting.

"Ooh, look at this, isn't it pretty" cooed Chi-chi as she admired a beautiful silver necklace, she had a real eye for jewellery, she loved the stuff.

Kakkarot walked over to the display case and peered in. Chi-chi really had picked a nice piece, but unfortunately it didn't have a nice price, and much as he wanted to, he couldn't afford to buy it for her.

"It is really nice Chi, but I can't afford it" he sounded upset.

Chi-chi stood up straight and smiled at the clerk behind the desk. "Kakkarot, I didn't expect you to" she said, "C'mon, let's go to the next shop" she said as she took his hand and lead him outside into the fresh air.

Outside, the sun was beginning to set and the sky was beautiful shades of pinks and oranges, it was a truly beautiful sight, without even thinking, and rested her head on Kakkarot's shoulder and sighed happily. Kakkarot smiled and looked down at Chi-chi.

She was so pretty.

"C'mon," he said, after a few minutes, bringing Chi-chi back to her happy reality "We'll miss dinner".

Chi-chi had to laugh, Kakkarot loved food more than anyone she had ever met.

***

18 sat beside Astrid's bed and sobbed, 17 was by her side, he put a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave her a half hug.

"Is she gonna be ok right?" 18 pleaded with her brother to make it better.

"I dunno" 17 muttered, his eyes were glazed over and he was staring straight ahead. His reply was quiet and vague. It told 18 the whole story, he knew she wasn't going to pull through.

18 fresh batch of tears welled up in her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. This wasn't fair. Why did everything bad have to happen to the people she loved?

"18 child, calm down" came an old rasp voice from the bed, both the twins snapped to attention.

"Astrid, save your energy, don't talk" said 17.

"Save it for what, what's about to happen is going to happen no matter how little I talk. So I might as well use my last few minutes constructively don't you think" 17 nodded.

"You two are like my very own children, and I don't want you to be sad when I go" she spoke low and slowly.

"No Astrid, don't talk like that, you'll be fine" protested 18.

"Don't be foolish 18. And besides, I think this is for the best, it's going to be a peaceful transition for me now..." she broke into a rousing cough, and both the twins jumped in shock.

"Don't be afraid young ones. Live your life to the fullest. 17, you've found someone to love, don't let her get away. Love will keep you strong. And 18, you've had a tough life, but don't think you won't find someone to love like your brother has. Open your heart to the people around you and you will see who is the right one for you. I know you've had a lot on your mind lately, but it will all become clear soon" she began to cough again, and this time she didn't stop for a long time.

It was scary. 17 could tell, this was it, any second now it would all be over for her, 18 sensed it too.

"Tell mama we love her"

"Of course" were the last words the woman spoke before her eyes rolled back and her body went limp.

"NO!" 18 screamed and she lunged forward, throwing herself over the body that was already getting cold. "No" she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. 17 leaned over his sister and ran his hand down Astrid's face, closing her eyes "Goodbye Astrid" he whispered.

He heard the soft footfalls of someone approaching and looked up to see Tarie. She crouched down next to him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace. It didn't take long for 17 to break down into tears.

"Shhhh, it's ok," Tarie rubbed his back in big slow circles, "It'll be alright. Just let it all out".

No one noticed 18 pull the blanket up over Astrid's face and leave the room.

"18, are you ok" asked Nison, he reached out to hug 18, but she moved out of his way.

"I'll be fine, just leave me alone" she said and she headed for the garden.

Once she was out in the fresh air she stopped, she fell to the ground, buried her head in her hands and sobbed long and hard. It hurt so bad.

But as it so happened, just the right person came to her rescue. "It's happened didn't it?" came his calm, yet worried voice.

18 didn't reply, she just shook her head up and down. Krillen came to her side.

"I'm sorry" he said, "I know how hard it is to loose someone you love"

"Why did this have to happen, my life is already screwed up enough!" suddenly she was mad, so mad! She jumped up and took a few steps back, leaving a very confused Krillen looking up at her. He stood up to go to her, but she did something very unexpected.

18 jumped back even more and a pink sphere of crackling energy appeared in her hand. "Don't come any closer Krillen, or I'll ram this thing straight into my chest. That will make the hurt go away, that will work".

Krillen looked horrified, she wouldn't would she? "18, get rid of that right now, you're scaring me".

"Scared huh? That's how I feel all the time. All the freakin' time!" she yelled and she thrust the ball into her chest. She screamed as she was flung through the air, but she never hit the ground. Krillen was behind her in a second, and she landed safely in his strong arms.

For a brief second, Krillen was relieved that 18 was so weak, the blast hadn't been enough to kill her, thank-god, but she had burnt herself rather badly.

"Why'd you catch me?" asked 18 through clenched teeth.

"Because I was not going to let you hit the ground, you would have broken you spine and died!" he snapped. He picked her up and quickly hurried her inside.

"You don't want me to die? Why?" she asked. "I mean nothing to you"

"That's not true, you are very important to me 18".

They arrived at the infirmary and Krillen told the nurse's what had happened. She told Krillen to take her to a room down the hall.

Sometime during the trip 18 had passed out, something for which Krillen was oddly grateful for, it had gotten him out of an awkward situation. The nurse came and applied something for 18's burn, then left.

It's wasn't until almost 45 minutes later that 18 woke up

But when she did, she screamed. Krillen, who had been out in the hall came running into the room faster than he had ever run before.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, the worry in his voice was thick.

"Get me the hell out of here!" she shouted. "Now!"

Krillen winced, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring her here, "Ok, you can just get up and leave anytime" he said but she was already half way out the door. Krillen quickly chased after her. 

"18 wait up" she didn't stop until she was well away from the infirmary.

"Why'd you take me there Krillen? Why?" she asked, Krillen noticed she was shaking.

"You needed help. If I had of known you don't like hospitals I never would of..." he trailed off.

"Hospitals. It's not just them, it's doctors. And I just don't not like them, I'm deathly afraid!" she yelled. Several passers by stopped to look, but the looks Krillen gave them quickly sent them on their way.

"Doctors? Why?" Krillen asked as he took a step towards her.

"It's was a doctor that turned me into the horrible freak you see before you today Krillen" she spoke quietly now.

"Freak? I don't see a freak, I don't know what you are talking about. You are a perfectly normal Sayian" he said.

"Normal," she scoffed "I don't even have a tail. And have you ever been able to sense a ki from me?"

Krillen shook his head.

"Exactly" she said and she stomped off down the hall.

Krillen didn't even try to follow her.

***

"Here you go ma'am" spoke the waiter as he pulled out Chi-chi's chair for her. She looked up at him and smiled, remembering that she was the princess and everyone in the restaurant was watching her. She kept reminding herself to use her best manners.

"Thank you sir" she said politely.

"Princess Chi-chi, if you need anything, anything at all, please let me know"

She smiled at him again, "I will"

Finally, and much to Chi-chi's delight, the snooty waiter walked off.

She looked across the table to her 'date' and rolled her eyes. Making Kakkarot laugh out loud.

"Honestly," she said "don't these people have anything thing else to do?"

"Well if I wasn't here with you, I'd be looking at you to, you just look so darn beautiful tonight Chi" Kakkarot replied. Chi-chi felt her cheeks go bright red with embarrassment, but Kakkarot only said she looked cute like that.

It didn't take long for their orders to arrive, which seemed much to grand for the type of restaurant they were in. But upon tasting the it, both Kakkarot and Chi-chi didn't care that this food had obviously been prepared for them, the kings daughter, and the son of the richest family on the planet. The meal was exquisite. Though both Chi-chi and Kakkarot found it rather disturbing to have everyone watching them eat, they were both rather used to attention.

"So," Kakkarot began "Do you think this will make headlines as well?" he joked. Chi-chi laughed as she remembered that from a couple of weeks ago, when she and Kakkarot had been on the front cover off all the trashy magazines.

"Probably" she replied

The chitchat between covered just about every topic imaginable, from the rather pleasant weather they had been given lately, to the possibility of getting a G.R installed at Kakkarot's house. Eventually the conversation switched to palace life.

"It must be great to live in the palace" said Kakkarot.

Chi-chi snorted and looked up at Kakkarot like he was some kind of idiot "Great? It sucks, I would give anything to live in a normal home like yours and not have so many responsibilities. My father is always so busy trying to stop the allegiance from crumbling to rubble he pretty much leaves the running of Vegeta-Sei up to me and Vegeta. He's not even on the planet at the moment"

Kakkarot looked at Chi-chi thoughtfully for a few minutes, but what came out of his mouth was anything but though out. "Yeah, my dad is always saying how he could run the planet better with his eyes closed. He says King Vegeta is useless"

Chi-chi double blinked, "Excuse me?" she asked. Kakkarot heard the malice in her voice and he knew he'd put his foot in it again, but he began to repeat himself none the less.

But a simple flick of Chi-chi's wrist silenced him "Shut-up," she hissed, "my father is a damn good king, he does his best to keep everything running smoothly and I will not have you saying anything otherwise" she snapped. Then she stood up and walked out the restaurant, leaving a very baffled Kakkarot with many stunned civilians and the bill.

***

A/N; Well that was smart of Kakkarot wasn't it? Will Chi-chi ever forgive him, or make use of the ancient art of grudge holding? Read on to find out!

And review please, you know I would if this was your fic! ^_~

~D.B


	14. Confessions

Disclaimer; Ok I admit, I've been lying to you all, I own DBZ......NOT!

A/N; I'm sorry this took so long everyone, but I've had a few problems with weird boys latly. Anyway, I've already started the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take to long to get the rest of it done. Well yeah...read this and tell me what you think. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 13

"Father are you ok?" asked Vegeta as he approached his father.

The king rubbed his temples and looked down at his eldest son and smiled weakly, hoping it didn't look as fake as it felt, he was in no mood to smile.

"I'll be fine son" he replied. Vegeta shook his head and took another step forward. "Don't lie to me"

"I'm not". Vegeta raised a dark eyebrow, as if he was totally unimpressed with his father's answer.

"Ok," boomed the king, "I'll admit, I've got a few things on my mind"

"What things?" Vegeta demanded to know

"Things I don't want to bother you with, I can see you've also got a lot on your mind at the moment. You don't need to be burdened with my troubles as well" replied the king.

Vegeta thought for a few minutes. What his father had said was very true, he did have a lot on his mind, but he wanted to help his father if he could.

He shrugged his shoulder and looked up at his much taller father, why was it that he was so short?

"Well if you need to talk...." he trailed off, then left the throne room.

Once he was out the throne room, he leaned against the wall and sighed, right now he felt about 50 years older than he actually was. All he ever seemed to do these days was worry – worry about his father, and his planet and the people that would one day be his. He didn't have anytime left to just chill out and stop for a while. He'd forced his body into overdrive all ready and he didn't know how more he could take. Growling and kicking the wall, he walked off down the hall.

*** 

Chi-chi banged on the door, and banged, and banged and banged. Until finally it was opened.

"It's about time" she said as she pushed past Bulma and walked into the apartment.

"Well hello to you to" said Bulma as she shut the door, yawned and ran her hand through her messy blue hair.

"You didn't just get up did you?" asked Chi-chi

"Yeah," replied Bulma still half-asleep "why?"

"Because it's 2pm" stated Chi-chi.

Bulma rolled her eyes, Chi-chi was impossible sometimes, if she was anyone but her best friend she probably would have thumped her and thrown her outside, but as it so happened, she couldn't do it even if she wanted to.

After much persuasion she had finally managed to get her doctors to let her out the infirmary, on the condition that she took it very easy and kept her broken ribs well protected, which just entailed keeping the bandages dry and changing them once a day.

"Chi-chi" Bulma groaned.

Chi-chi spun around and flashed Bulma the smile she usually gave her father when she wanted something "Yes?" she asked. Bulma picked up on it right away and she had to laugh. "You're an idiot," she said. "You want some ice-cream?"

"Uh yeah" replied Chi-chi as if it was pointless to even ask in the first place.

Bulma nodded and pulled 2 cartons of chocolate ice cream out the fridge, then she grabbed some spoons, and both the girls sat at the table and dug in.

"So, have you spoken to Kakkarot yet?" asked Bulma as she swallowed some more of the cold, slippery food.

"No," came Chi-chi curt reply. "I don't know what I was thinking. I never should have spoken to him, men are a waste of my time"

"So you're saying you wouldn't mind if I gave him a call?" asked Bulma slyly, she had no intentions of calling him, she just needed to make her friends realise that she really did still like him.

Chi-chi's eyes darted up and she gave Bulma a cold hard stare, but she quickly remembered that she wasn't supposed to care anymore and she simply shrugged her shoulders "Fine whatever. See if I care"

Bulma had to laugh.

"What?" snapped Chi-chi.

"My god girl, you're head over heels for him aren't you. I think you might be the only one who can't see it" she said.

Chi-chi quietly gasped, was it really that obvious? It must have been if Bulma could pick up on it that quickly. "No I am not" she lied through her teeth hoping it would fool Bulma, unfortunately, she had no such luck.

"Chi-chi, the only one who falls for your lies like that is you dad. Why don't you just go call him and tell him that what he said offended you but if he apologises then you'd be more then happy to marry him" suggested Bulma, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Marriage? Don't you think your jumping the gun a bit, I'm not even of age yet".

***

"Tarie, no, not now" said 17 as he pushed Tarie off him. She looked across at him, a confused look plastered on her face.

"What's wrong baby?" she asked as she leaned forward and tucked his hair behind his ears. She had always though he looked cuter like that.

17 sighed and relaxed against the pillow.

It had been 2 weeks now since the untimely death of Astrid and it still hurt. Krillen, the price his sister had somehow managed to befriend had given her a proper burial, with a tombstone and all. It was much more than any of the other deceased slaves had ever gotten. But that didn't take away any of the hurt, she had been one of his oldest and most trusted friends. Ever since he was a scared 11-year old boy, lost and confused in a strange new world, she had taken care of him and watched him grow and love just like his mother would have wanted. And now she was gone. And his sister was taking it even worse than he was. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't talk. She just sat on the floor and stared at the wall, mumbling something in coherent over and over. It was scaring him.

"17, baby, you still with me?" came Tarie's cool smooth voice.

17 blinked and looked into her big green eyes, "Yeah".

Tarie moved closer to 17 and wrapped her thin arms around him.

"What's wrong? Talk to me" she gently urged.

17 took a big breath and returned the hug, pulling Tarie in tight. "It hurts Tarie, it hurts so much" he said, close to tears.

"I know how hard it is for you, you lost someone you loved" she said.

"It's not that, it's just..." he stoped to wipe the tears off his face "It's just that I don't ever remember missing my mother this much and I feel so horrible for it. How is it that somewhere along the ling I came to love Astrid more than my own mother?"

"17, don't be ashamed, you lost you mother a long time ago, you were young, so young. It's only natural you needed someone to fill the void she left" Tarie tried her best to calm 17 down.

"And I'm worried about 18, she's not taking this whole thing so good" 17 spoke up again after a long silence. Tarie pulled out of 17's warm embrace and took hold of his hands instead.

"Well we're all a little worried about her at the moment, she's definitely not taking this as well as she needs to" agreed Tarie.

17 sighed deeply, "I just don't know what to do about it though. She's my own sister, and I don't know how to help her. I've failed the only flesh and blood I have left. 18's my closets...anything, and I can't help her." he chocked on sobs and it made Tarie's hart break.

"17 baby, you haven't failed 18 or anyone else for that matter. That sister of your's is one very complex women and she's been through more in her life than you or I could even begin to fathom. Just keep an eye on her and give her a bit more time to come to grips with everything that's happened ok" said Tarie.

17 nodded his head and wiped his face with the back of his hands. "I'm sorry" he mumbled, "I haven't been very good to you lately"

"You've been great," said Tarie "now I have to go and do some work, will you be ok?"

"Yeah"

"Ok" Tarie said and she softly planted her lips on his, "I'll be back later ok"

***

"Why are you not done yet? I gave you that assignment 3 hours ago!" roared Chi-chi, her face turning bright red with anger.

"Ma'am, why don't you get down here and try it" snapped 18.

"What?!" screeched Chi-chi. "How dare you answer back to me. Just what are you doing. You have no right to even look at me without my permission"

18 lowered her eyes to the floor and muttered something.

"What was that?" asked Chi-chi

No reply.

Chi-chi's nostrils flared how was it that this one insignificant slave managed to infuriate her so much, she ment nothing to her. Then with one resounding slap to the cheek Chi-chi sent 18 flying to the other side of the room, where she crashed into the wall with a loud thud.

"Next time I speak to you, you will answer me. Is that clear?"

18 hauled herself up off the floor and nodded "Yes ma'am" she whimpered, close to tears.

Chi-chi smirked evilly and slapped a piece of paper down in front of 18. "I want all of that done before I get back. Understood?"

18 nodded again "Yes ma'am".

As soon as 18 heard the door click shut she sunk down to the ground buried her head in her hands and cried. If anyone had been around to hear her heart wrenching sobs they would have known how badly she needed some help, she just wasn't coping, every second that went by hurt more than the last and every day she became more and more aware that Astrid wasn't coming back. She didn't know how much longer she could go on like this. It just hurt way too much.

Sighing heavily 18 picked up the sheet of clean, crisp white paper and counted the number of jobs on it

***

Tarie looked down at the mess a few meters away from her feet. It was making her stomach turn, she never had never had much of a strong stomach. Leaning on the mop for support she turned away from the pool of blood, sweat, teeth and vomit, that was slowly inching towards her.

She was in the training complex's foyer. A rather big square room with metal walls and floor. It had 10 doors with small round windows, all of which led into separate training rooms, coming off two of the walls. There was a small eating area, with tables and a few vending machines, that each dispensed something different at the far end of the room. A few men and a girl were all sitting down there, munching on something and happily chatting away.

Trying as hard as she could to keep her stomach where it belonged, she turned back to the mess, only to find it mere centimetres away from her feet, she gasped and jumped backwards and well away from the mess.

She was not touching that stuff.

She knew where Nison was working, he was in the kitchen helping prepare the evening meal, maybe she could switch with him? But she couldn't really leave this mess here, if she left it unattended and one of the elites down the end dobbed on her, well, she didn't really want to fathom what would happen, but it wouldn't be pretty.

Sighing, Tarie finally came to the conclusion that there was no way she could get out of this. She was going to have to clean up the mess that was once again, uncomfortably close to her feet. She shuddered and pulled the mop out of the bucket, it made a funny sloshing noise when it hit the ground and she couldn't even bare to look at the floor as she cleaned up after an unknown slob who couldn't keep their lunch where it belonged

Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she slowly moved the mop across the floor, this was without a doubt the most disgusting thing she had ever done.

***

Krillen was whistling a happy tune to himself as he wandered down the palace halls at a comfortable rate, he was in a good mood today, and he really wasn't sure why, it wasn't like there was anything to be overly happy about. His father was worried about something – again, 18 was getting harder and harder to talk to everyday and his bother and sister were being meaner than ever to him. Now that he though about it, he should be miserable, but he wasn't.

He swung his towel around in big wide circle, as he walked along. He was on his way to the G.R's. He arrived at the complex and walked inside. He first thing he saw was the poor girl cleaning up something disgusting, and she didn't look so good.

Krillen recognised her as 18's brother's girlfriend, he wasn't quiet sure of her name though. He quickly decided to turn his good mood into a good deed and he headed over to her.

"Hi" he greeted her, "You look like you could use a hand.

"Huh?" Tarie was confused beyond all belief

"Here, why don't you go out side for a few minutes, I'll clean this" suggested Krillen as he took the mop off Tarie.

"Thanks, I guess"

"Hey, before you go, what's you name?" asked Krillen

Tarie looked at him suspiciously for a few minutes, before deciding that if 18 could be friends with this guy, he had to be harmless. "Tarie" she said.

Krillen smiled warmly at her, "Tarie, you're friends with 18. Tell me, how is she?"

"Not so good. She's taking it all very badly, if she doesn't pick up soon, well, there's not a lot we can do for her if she refuses to be helped." Krillen opened his mouth to reply, but Tarie kept right on talking "she won't eat, or sleep, she won't talk to anyone, she's gotten real bad" this time Tarie stopped talking.

Krillen looked upset, 18 had become very special to him over the last few months, and he wanted to help her, so bad. But Tarie was right, she was more distant than ever, if he was really serious about 18, he needed to take action now!

"Ok, thank-you" said Krillen. Tarie smiled strangely at him, still a little confused by his niceness, then she headed out to the garden.

***

She dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue to dry up the tears, this was always so hard for her to do. She looked down at the bouquet of red and purple flowers and placed them on the grave she was knelling in front of.

"Tammin" she sobbed, "I know it's been almost 7 years, but it hurts, it still hurts so much. I want you back", Bulma sobbed freely, she knew her big sister was watching over her making sure she was safe, but that didn't make up for the fact that she wasn't right next to her.

Bulma and Tammin Brief had always been close, they'd been nearly inseparable. Tammin was exactly 1 year and 9 months older than she was, but they may as well have been twins. Both girls had the brains of their father and their looks, and charm from their mother. They were like best friends.

But then Frieza destroyed that!

Yes, he had destroyed everything that had been good in her life and the lives of millions of other Sayians around the planet. It wasn't fair.

Feeling a fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes, Bulma buried her head in her hands and wept. Oh what she wouldn't give to have her sister back for just one more day.

Suddenly she heard soft footsteps coming from behind her. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she turned to see who it was, and smiled weakly at the familiar face.

"You are supposed to be resting women, you shouldn't be out here blubbering"

"I'm not blubbering Vegeta"

"Well if that's not blubbering then I don't know what is," he scoffed, then he got down on his knees beside her, "Why are you are here anyway?" he asked

"Just visiting" was Bulma's short reply

"Visiting hurts" said Vegeta, more to himself than to Bulma, "Too many things I don't want to remember".

"Wanna tell me about it?" asked Bulma, as she shifted positions to get more comfortable.

"No" Vegeta replied curtly.

"C'mon, you know you can talk to me, I'm not a blab like your sister"

Vegeta had to laugh at Bulma's last remark, it was so true. You told Chi-chi anything, and 5 seconds later the whole palace knew. "I don't wanna talk about it".

"So something is up?".

Vegeta's head snapped up, dammit it, she'd figured him out – again. "No, something is not up," he lied "now if you don't mind I'll be over there" he stood up and walked towards the rather large fancy tombstone in the center of the cemetery. Bulma waited a few minutes, then stood up and followed him.

"Mother," Vegeta whispered hoarsely "it's getting hard again, I don't know what to do. Father needs my help, but he won't accept it. Help me".

From behind him, Bulma watched him wipe a tear off his face, she had never seen him cry before, maybe it wasn't a good idea to follow him. But if she left now, he would hear her. She quickly decided to do what any good friend would, and make sure he was ok.

"Vegeta, are you all right?" she asked.

Vegeta jumped, what in the hell was the women doing there? "I'm fine, just leave me alone" he snapped

"You are so not fine," Bulma scoffed "Why must you lie to me? I'll always find out, so why don't you just talk to me" she persisted.

"I don't have a problem to talk about!" he shouted as he stood up. Bulma looed at him lamely. His eyes were puffy and he had several tears running down his cheeks. Bulma smiled awkwardly at him and wiped them off with her thumb. "It's ok you know, everyone needs to talk sometimes"

"Not me" snapped Vegeta

"Yes you" replied Bulma calmly, she reached out and touched Vegeta's hand, but he quickly pulled it away. She scowled at him, but then a more compassionate look settled on her face.

"Ok, if you don't wanna tell me about it right now, you don't have to. But if you change your mind, you know where I am" she said, then she turned and walked off.

***

Well what did you think? Tell me in a review. ~D.B


	15. An Hour Of Need

Disclaimer: No, I don't own DBZ, though it's only 4 months till I turn 16. Maybe some kind person will give it to me

A/N: Ok, here we go – CHAPTER 14! I know I'm slow with my updates, but I've got a list of homework as long as my arm. Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter in a review ok. ~Deadly Beauty.

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 14

6 months. Had it really been that long? Had she really been living in this hell hole for 6 long months? It just didn't seem possible. 18 looked down at her hands and blinked. Sighing, she slipped down the bed and rested her head on the soft pillow.

She felt like crap.

Winter was approaching fast, and Vegeta-sei always had extremely long, cold winters. 18 rolled over and pulled the blankets up closer to her neck, she was cold, and sick. Her nose was runny, her eyes were watery, her head was throbbing, and her stomach felt like it was about to jump up her throat.

"17," she whispered, "Are you asleep?"

A few minutes later a response came, "not any more". 18 felt bad for waking him, he needed his rest too.

"What's wrong?" asked 17 as he sat up. Next to him, Tarie stirred and rolled over, but 17 put his hand on her shoulder and she settled.

"I don't feel so good 17" 18 moaned.

17's eyes darted around the dark room, the darkness didn't bother him though, he knew exactly where everything was.

"Are you going to be sick?" he asked, not really knowing what to do.

18 nodded her head, "I think so"

"Ok". 17 threw the blanket off him and shivered. It was freezing. He stood up and helped his sister out of her bed. Then he took her outside to get some fresh air.

"How are you feeling now?" asked 17 once they were out in the garden. 18 breathed in the cool, crisp night air and looked up at the starry night sky.

"A bit better" she replied, then she broke into a rousing cough.

17 shook his head, "You're sicker than you're letting on. I'm getting you some help" he said and he stood up.

"No!" called 18, "I'll be fine"

"Bullcrap you'll be fine. I've already lost Astrid, and I'm not taking the risk of loosing you as well".

18 bowed her head, how could she argue with that?

The next time she looked up, 17 was gone.

***

Krillen groaned and rolled over, he opened one eye and looked at the clock, it read 3.14 am.

"What the hell..?" he muttered to himself as he pulled himself out of the deliciously warm bed.

"17, what's the matter?" asked a very sleepy Krillen

"It's my sister"

Suddenly Krillen was wide-awake "18? What's wrong with her?"

"She's sick. I'm sorry to wake you, but I didn't know where else to go"

"No no, it's fine," said Krillen as he reached for his robe, "Take me to her". 17 nodded his head and lead Krillen back outside.

"18, why are you out here?" asked Krillen as he approached her, he could tell she had just been sick.

"17 brought me out here". Krillen reached out and touched her arm, but he quickly pulled away.

"My god 18, you're freezing!" he exclaimed, "we've got to get you inside".

18 stood up on shaky legs, her whole world was spinning around her and she was having trouble standing up or seeing straight. All she could think about was how cold she was. The next thing she knew something warm was surrounding her. She opened her eyes, only to see that Krillen was holding her and taking her somewhere, she could see 17 walking beside her.

"Where are we going?" she asked faintly

"Shhhh, don't worry. I'm taking you to warm up"

17 looked around, Krillen had brought them to the kitchen.

"What are we doing here?" he asked as he watched Krillen set his sister down at the big wooden table.

"I'm going to make her a hot drink" said Krillen.

"17" he quickly spun around and hurried over to his sister

"It's ok" he soothed, "It's gonna be alright"

***

As a new day dawned on Vegeta-sei, its prince was up to greet it. He sighed and shook his head. His mind was blank, he was at a total loss. Where to turn, what to do? He just didn't know anymore. Somewhere along the line, everything he knew had been lost.

Vegeta was snapped out of his thoughts by someone pushing open the door. He looked up and saw Bulma, he had to stifle a laugh when he saw her, She was dressed in a bight pink pyjama pants with little white love hearts on them and a white singlet top. She had fluffy pink slippers on and a white robe. Her hair was a mess, it looked like it hadn't see a brush for months. All in all Vegeta found it quite an amusing sight.

"Morning Vegeta" she said through a yawn.

Vegeta nodded his head in acknowledgment as he stuffed another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Sleep well?"

Vegeta nodded again.

Bulma quickly set about making herself some food, she was starving.

"Good morning all" came an unusually happy voice from the next person to enter the kitchen.

"Morning Chi" replied Bulma as she sat at the table. Chi-chi made coffee and sat at the table next to her best friend.

"So B-Chan, what you up to today?" she asked.

Bulma rolled her eyes, Chi-chi was never this peppy this early in the morning

"Me, nothing really" she replied as she yawned again.

"Wanna go shopping?" asked Chi-chi.

"Sure why not"

Chi-chi jumped up "Great" she said and she bounded out the room.

"What the hell was that about?" asked Vegeta after she had left.

Bulma shrugged her shoulders, "Don't ask me, she's your sister"

***

"How is she?" asked Tarie. She was standing next to 17 and they were both standing over 18's bed watching her sleep.

"I'm not sure, I guess she must be feeling ok at the moment if she's sleeping peacefully"

"We need to do something down here 17. We're not going to survive the winter like this" said Tarie as she sat on the bed she shared with 17.

"Why not? We've always managed before" Tarie rolled her eyes, 17 really was clueless sometimes.

"Think about it," began Tarie, "winter doesn't even start for another 5 and a half weeks and it's already freezing. Can you imagine how cold the actual winter is going to be?"

"I guess you're right," agreed 17 as he threw his arm across her shoulders, "But what can we do?"

"I dunno, I really don't know"

18 stirred and rolled over, but she continued to sleep. 17 felt a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, if he lost his sister now he didn't think he would be able to go on. She was his entire world and to loose her would just be too much for him. Krillen had given her some flu medicine last night and he said he would stop by to give her some more today, and he hoped to god it was working.

***

"What do you think of this B?" asked Chi-chi as she held up a long white leather jacket

"That's so cute, it would look great on you" complimented Bulma

"Thanks," said Chi-chi, "So what have you got?"

Bulma held up a pair of black leather pants that had red flames at the bottom. Chi-chi didn't even have to speak to let Bulma know she liked them, she look on her face said it all. Bulma laughed at Chi-chi's expression and draped the pants over her arm, beginning the mission to find the perfect top to complete the ensemble, and of course she refused to go home with out a cute pair of boots.

A little while later, the 2 girls decided to temporarily stop their shopping spree for some afternoon tea. As they headed towards the cafe, Chi-chi was only too aware of all the people staring. Last time she had been out in public she had had that incident with Kakkarot. She still hadn't forgiven him for that.

Bulma watched her friend in bewilderment, one minute she was fine, and the next she had just spaced out she still had that blank expression on her face. Bulma was confused.

"Hey, chi," She called, "Chi-chi!"

The dark haired girl blinked a few times and turned to look at her friend, "Yeah?" she asked in her usual peppy voice.

"Where do you want to sit?" asked Bulma slowly.

"Oh I don't care, it's all good". Bulma rolled her eyes. All that fuss for nothing.

"So?," Bulma began as she poked her fork at her cake, "Have you spoken with Kakkarot yet?"

"No" sighed Chi-chi "I thought he would have called me by now"

"Well maybe you should take the first step and apologise to him, huh?" suggested Bulma.

"I don't think so. That is not something the princess of _all _sayians in supposed to do. People grovel at my feet, not the other way around"

Bulma was taken aback, that was really bitchy of Chi-chi. Though she shouldn't have been surprised, Chi-chi was always like that, the way she treated the lower classes, it just wasn't proper. But Bulma couldn't really blame her, the lower classes were rather filthy. 

Chi-chi yawned and stood up, looking at her watch, it read 4.45. "C'mon B-Chan, we gotta get going, father wants me to join him for dinner tonight. I'm not looking forward to it. Whenever me and Vegeta get together with our father as a family, it just ends up in trouble" she said as she left a large wad of cash on the table.

"What about Krillen? Last I checked he was also part of your family"

Chi-chi scoffed, "Krillen? Since when has _he_ been important enough to mention?"

Bulma shrugged her shoulders and followed Chi-chi out into the street.

***

"Sir, sir you have an urgent telephone call" shouted one of the Kings assistants as he burst into the throne room. The King looked up from the paper he was holding, an unimpressed look on his face.

"Didn't I say I don't want to be disturbed?" he asked, though he was secretly glad for the interruption.

"I know, but the Queen of planet Bindoon is on the line" said the young man.

Suddenly the King seemed to care about what he was saying.

"Very well, put her through" he said.

The man nodded and quickly turned and left the room

Soon the little red light on the telephone began to blink and the King picked it up

"Ah hello Queen Kahlia. How can I help you?" he asked.

"I don't mean to interrupt you, but I have a proposition for you" replied Kahlia.

"Very well, proceed" spoke the King.

As he listed to what Queen Kahlia was saying, a wide smile slowly grew across his face, he liked what he was hearing. It was indeed a worthwhile mission, one that he would be only too happy to partake in.

"Kahlia, I like what you are saying, count me in" he said, then he gently put the phone back on the receiver. His otherwise dull just got a whole lot brighter

***

"Chi-chi!" Shrieked Bulma as they walked up the grand steps that lead to the second floor of the palace, they then headed down the hall towards the residential area of the palace "That's disgusting!"

Chi-chi giggled, "I know" she said.

The two girls got to the wing where Bulma's family lived and they stopped outside Bulma's door.

"Well this is my stop," said Bulma as she pushed the door open, a nice smell wafted out of the apartment.

"Smells good" said Chi-chi

"Sure does," agreed Bulma "I'll see you later on ok"

"Ok," said chi-chi "Bye" she continued and she walked off.

"What's this?" the black haired princess asked herself when she got to her bedroom door. There was a square parcel sitting on the floor, all wrapped up in pink paper and tied with blue ribbon. There was a card sticking out the side of it too. Chi-chi put her bags on the ground and picked up the parcel. Pulling the card out the side, she read what it said.

__

Chi-chi

I know this doesn't make up for what I said, but I'm sorry.

Friends?

Chi-chi smiled and shut the small card. Of course they were friends. She pulled her keys out her pocket and stuck them in the lock then she picked up her bags, kicked the door open and headed inside.

Only too nearly have a heart attack at what she saw!

Her bedroom had been transformed into a florist. Every single inch of space had been adorned with bunches and bunches of brightly coloured flowers, it smelt heavenly. A smile made it's way to her face as she turned her attention to the bed. And all the hundreds of brightly wrapped gifts that lay there

And right in the middle of it all was Kakkarot. Standing right in the middle of the room, with a big grin plastered on his face. Chi-chi had to laugh. "How much did you spend?" she asked, a look of amazement on her face.

Kakkarot laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "That doesn't matter," he said "Am I forgiven?"

Chi-chi dropped all her bags on the ground and carefully placed the parcel beside them. "Yes, yes of course I forgive you Kakkarot" she said as he took a few steps closer to him.

"Good" he said.

"How long have you been waiting in here for?" asked Chi-chi curiously

Kakkarot laughed again "Nearly 4 hours I think". Chi-chi joined in the laughter and shook her head in amazement. He was just so sweet, doing such a nice thing for her.

"You know Kakkarot, I think I need to apologise too. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that" confess Chi-chi, it felt good to finally get that off her chest.

"No Chi, you had every right to get angry at me," said Kakkarot "But that's all in the past now, let's move on ok"

"Sure" agreed Chi-chi all to willingly.

Next chi-chi took a step towards the bed, resting her hands on her hips she took a good long look around the room. "Where is that darn woman? She's never around when I need her, useless waste of space" she ranted.

"Gee Chi, you're talking about this person like some kind of outdated machine. That's not very nice"

Chi-chi looked at him with one dark, perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. "It's only what's-her-name. She's not important to me at all. I don't care if I'm nice to her or not, she lives under the palace in the slave quarters. You must know that those pathetic excuses for Sayians are good for nothing more than serving us respectable ones" explained Chi-chi as if it was common knowledge.

"But Chi, how would you like it if someone thought that about you?" Kakkarot asked after a few minutes.

"Well that's never going to happen is it? I'm the princess and everyone loves me" she stated

***

17 stood at the door, near bursting point. He had just happened to be in the wrong place at he wrong time and had overheard what the princess had been saying to Kakkarot.

And he was not impressed.

His hands were balled into fists by his side, he was red in the face and shaking with anger. How dare anyone talk about his sister and his friends like that! He didn't give a fuck if she was the princess or not, she had no right to talk about them like that.

They were Sayians too, just because life hadn't been as kind to them as it had to her, that didn't make it ok to say such horrible things about them. Why he had every right to barge right in there and give that stupid Chi-chi a piece of his mind.

But that wouldn't have been very smart of him, the second her layed a finger on that door she would have incinerated him, and that wasn't what he wanted to happen.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, 17 tried to relax, he thought of his sister and Tarie and Nison and Astrid. All of his friends. It was too late to save Astrid, but not the rest of them. He was going to escape the palace, then he would come back for them all, and together they would run away and live a free life, outside the confines of the palace walls, maybe they could even flee the planet. 17 opened his eyes, feeling slightly more relaxed, he headed back downstairs.

***

18 opened her heavy eyelids and tried to look around, but her vision was blurred. She opened her mouth, which was extremely dry, and broke into a rousing cough. She had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her, but she didn't like it, not one little bit

"18, 18 it's ok, I'm here. I've got some medicine for you" 18 could faintly hear someone talking to her, it was a man, and it sounded like Krillen.

"K-K-Krill" she chocked out, but the rest of the word died away in her throat.

"Shhhh, don't talk. I'm here now". The next thing she knew, 18 could feel two strong warm arms around her, she was lifted into a sitting position and Krillen sat behind her, resting her body against him.

"Here you go," he said as he held the medicine cup to her lips "I know it tastes horrible, but if you drink it all, I've got some juice for you" he said as he tilted the cup.

18 gulped down the foul tasting liquid in one go, despite her near death state, she hadn't lost her sense of taste. Next there was a cold glass being held to her lips and she graciously drank all the sweet juice inside.

"Is that better?" asked Krillen as he re-positioned himself to a lying position so both he and 18 would be more comfortable.

"Yeah," 18 replied meekly "a little"

Krillen smiled, it was good to know he was helping her. "Just try to get some rest, I'll stay here with you until you wake up"

18 smiled and rested her head on his chest, the steady rhythm of his heart lulling her into a gently slumber. 

But just as she was on the brink of sleep, the door was pushed open and slammed shut again extremely loudly. 18 eyes snapped open just in time to see her brother come storming into the room, a very angry look on his face, Tarie rushed into the room seconds after.

"17, what the hell is wrong?" she asked.

There was no reply.

"17?" 18 asked quietly, "what's up?".

17 cast his gaze down to his sister and the prince sharing her bed and his expression softened, she was ok.

"Nothing that's worth you guys worrying about ok" 

"Are you sure?" asked Tarie as she rested her hand on her lover's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure" he replied after a few minutes and he sunk down onto his bed next to 18's.

He didn't know how much more of this he could stand.

***

A/N: Poor 17. Did you like it? Yes....No. Tell me in a review please! Next chapter will be out ASAP! ~Deadly Beauty


	16. Eight Years To The Day

Disclaimer; Yes alright, I admit it, I own Dragonball Z........NOT! I bet I had you tricked though didn't I

A/N; I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but in my defence, it is 10 pages long in word, so it took a while. And I happen to like this chapter, it's filled with emotion and I really like the way it came out. So enjoy. ~D.D

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 15

__

'Beep beep beep beep' came the monotonous, droning sound of a high pitched alarm clock. The owner of the pre mentioned clock rolled over and groaned, trying to drown out the annoying sound by pulling a pillow over their head.

It was far too early to face the world.

Reaching out a muscled arm, they felt around the top of the alarm clock for the most used button of them all. 

Sleep.

Vegeta-sei could do without him for another 6 minutes.

Unfortunately for Vegeta, 6 minutes seemed to fly by, and before he knew it, that bloody alarm was beeping again. Was he to have no peace? This time he sat up, rubbed sleepily at his eyes.... and fell back against the pillow.

'6 more minutes' he thought to himself as he closed his eyes and let himself to be once again taken to the land of nod.

When he opened his eyes again, he knew something wasn't right. Sitting up, he noticed that it was no longer dark outside, though not much light could get into his room through the extremely dark, heavy curtains, some was sneaking in around the edges.

His next indication that he over slept was the fact that it was no longer quiet in the halls. Phones were ringing, people were talking, shouting, laughing. Shoes were clicking on the polished wooden floorboards. It was all happening out there.

Finally Vegeta dared to look across at his clock, and he groaned in frustration when he saw the time.

10.06.

"Fuck" he mumbled as he pulled himself out of the huge bed. He must have hit off instead of snooze. The King would be pissed, say nothing about the wrath of his sister.

Quickly pulling on a pair of sleeveless blue spandex and his boots he headed for the royal family's dining room.

***

Chi-chi sat in the big, high backed mahogany chair, on the soft red cushion. Her back was leaning against one arm-rest, and her legs were dangling over the other. She was gonna kill Vegeta, they had been sitting here for 2 hours and 16 minutes waiting for him.

"Papa can't we just eat" she begged, using her sweetest tone of voice to win him over.

All the way at the head of the table, in a chair grander than all the rest, the King shook his head. He to was extremely hungry, but it was one of the top most rules of his family, that they all eat breakfast together, no matter what. After all who knew what might happen during the course of the day that could prevent him from seeing his 3 children again.

"I'm sorry Chi-chi, but we will wait"

Krillen sighed and twiddled his thumbs, he was so board, not to mention hungry, he hadn't eaten the night before since he'd been with 18 he'd missed the evening meal. Casting his eyes around the room they came to rest on the 3 women standing in the corner of the room waiting to serve.

They looked uncomfortable under his gaze, but he gave them a small, warm smile and they seemed to realise he was ok.

"Father" Krillen began.

"Shut up!" snapped Chi-chi, her voice venomous.

Krillen's eyes grew wide in shock, what had he done that time. He did not understand her at all, but he chose to ignore her for now.

"Father", he tried again "Perhaps we should send someone to fetch Vegeta?" he suggested

The King was just about to reply, when the big doors were pushed open and Vegeta strolled through, not seeming to care how late he was.

"Just where in the hell were you?" demanded Chi-chi as she leaped out her chair and stalked over to him, her long black hair swaying behind her.

"Overslept" came Vegeta's curt reply as he took his usual seat at the other end of the table.

"Father, please excuse my tardiness" he apologised. The King gave him a nod as his only indication of reply.

Finally after 2 hours and 20 minutes of waiting, breakfast was finally being served.

***

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but is this the colour you desired?" asked a man in a blue suit

"Yes almost," she replied, "Could you make it a few shades darker by any chance?"

"Of course" said the man and he turned and disappeared around the corner.

"Kakkarot, Turles" called out Neha. Kakkarot poked his head up from behind a dusty chest that had been dragged down from the attic and Turles walk in from the adjoining room. "Yes" they both asked in unison. Neha laughed at her two youngest boys, they were almost exactly alike, and most of the time they got on well, now was one of those times.

"Do you think you could go through that chest and see if you can find the box that has your grandmothers pearls in it?" she asked

"I bet I'll find it first" shouted Kakkarot cheerfully and he began to dig through the chest, Turles rushed over and joined him. Neha shook her head, they acted like 10 year olds, no one would guess that they were 24.

"Neha!" called a big deep voice from the main entrance to the Son Manner. Neha spun and looked in that direction, only to see her husband come prancing into the ballroom holding a hugely oversized bunch of flowers. She looked at him in confusion wondering where in the hell he got those from and just what he was planning to do with them

"Ah, there you are" said Bardok as he greeted his wife, then he planted a big kiss on her cheek, "These are for you".

"Thank-you" said Neha in utter amazement, just exactly where would she put these?

"So," began Bardok as he rubbed his huge hands together, "What are we all doing in here?"

"We are deciding on a colour scheme for the ball next week. I was thinking soft pinks or blues and white. Or maybe a very dark red. What do you think?"

"Not pink!" called Kakkarot from the floor

Bardok looked down at him and smiled. "Well I think it depends on the mood you want. If you want it to be relaxed and fun, then blue and white. If you want a more formal ball, then red" he replied

Neha thought it over for a minute or two, before she replied. "I think blue and white would be best, less evening gowns are likely to clash"

"I think that's a wise decision. If you need any more of my expert advise, I'll be upstairs taking a shower" said Bardok and he headed off up the stairs.

***

__

Prince Krillen,

You are cordially invited to attend the 4th annual Son Ball. 

This grand event will be held on the 6th of May at the Son Manner. The time of commencement will be 8 0'Clock.

Please feel free to bring a female partner with you

It is hoped you will attend

Yours sincerely,

Bardok and Neha Son

Krillen looked down the invitation and sighed, this was the fourth time he had been invited to the Son's ball, and it would most probably be the fourth time he wouldn't go. Why would he want to go and sit around all night, in a stuffy suit, in some body else's home, watching other people have fun? Balls were something you only went to if you had a date, and Krillen didn't have a date.

Unless.....

No, 18 wouldn't want to go, would she? No, she would not. Balls were not something she would like to do, he knew that for a fact. But maybe, just maybe? Well it couldn't hurt to ask. Could it?

Pushing his chair back and jumping up he growled, this was all to confusing. Why did his life have to be so miserable?

***

"Nappa, can you hold all my calls until I get back?" asked the King, though it really wasn't really a question. Anything the King wanted, the King got.

"Of course sir, but may I ask where you are going?"

"I am going to see my son, we have something we need to discuss" replied the King and walked out of the throne room. Leaving Nappa in charge of the phones.

He arrived at the training complex and stoped outside the door, he knew his son was in there, training hard for something that may never happen. But that was the Sayian way, they couldn't help themselves, they loved fighting and anything involved with it. His race prided themselves on their ability to control others with their power have whole races tremble at the mention of their name.

There was only one they couldn't control. One stopping them from being the best in the universe.

But if all went to plan, he wouldn't be around for much longer. Then the Sayians would finally realise their full potential.

The King smirked and walked into the training room's foyer. It was empty, and so quiet. His shoes tapped on the cold floor as he made his way to the other side of the room, only two of the doors were shut and locked, so his son had to be in one of them. Looking into the closest room, he saw his son, but not the one he was searching for, Krillen was training in that one, and looking at the panel on the door, he was training at a surprisingly intense gravity.

Moving on, the King approached the next door, and yes, his other son was inside. He looked down, curiously wondering which of his two boys was having a harder work out. What he saw surprised him. Krillen was training at 310 times normal gravity. Vegeta was only training at 295. He didn't realise Krillen was that strong.

He stood there for a few minutes watching Vegeta train through the little window. Ever since the scientist daughter had had her accident, a lot of improvements had been made to the G.R's. Like windows, and a button to turn off the room from the outside, which was exactly what the King pressed

"Gravity simulation terminated, gravity returning to normal" spoke the robotic female voice

"What the hell?" muttered Vegeta to himself as he floated to the ground, the ki ball that was in his palm vanished.

He pulled open the door, about to abuse the hell out of the idiot who had interrupted his training, only to see it was the one person on the entire planet that more authority than him. Dammit.

"Father" he panted from lack of breath. "What can I do for you?" he asked as he stepped past his father and headed towards the vending machine for a bottle of water.

"I need to talk to you son"

"Well, talk away" said Vegeta as he sat down. The King did the same.

"Queen Kahlia, of planet Bindoon has been in contact with me over the last few days, she seems to have devised a plan that could put an end to Frieza and his tirade forever." He said, as he rubbed his beard, then moved his hand to scratch the back of his head. It was an instant indication to Vegeta that his father was nervous about something.

"Yes," said Vegeta as if waiting for his father to say something more, but he didn't, so he asked, "What has this got to do with me?"

"Well," began the King "you and your brother would have to travel to planet Namek" he said.

Vegeta's eyes grew wide, Namek was a far distant planet, it would take weeks to get there.

"Why are you just talking to me then father, shouldn't Krillen be here to?" he asked, loathing the fact that his brother would be involved in this as well.

"I want to speak to you both separately first" was the reply the King gave after a few minutes of quiet thought.

"What are the odds we would actually bring down Frieza's entire empire?" Vegeta asked sceptically.

The King sighed and cast his glance down to the floor, "about 50 per cent" he said.

Vegeta double blinked, he was going to travel almost all the way to the other side of the universe, to come face to face with the one thing that gave him nightmares, with only half a chance that it wouldn't be a wast of his time.

"Well I suppose I don't really have a choice do I? I can't let the opportunity to kill Frieza pass me by. Ok, I suppose I'll do it" he said un-enthusiastically.

"You know, if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you and Krillen into going. I know how you both feel about him" said the King, resting a hand on his eldest sons shoulder.

Vegeta shrugged off the hand and stood up, "I said I'll do it" he snapped, then disappeared back into the G.R.

***

It was a cold, windy all around dreary morning on Vegeta-sei, and it suited the population of the planet just fine.

Today was not a day to be happy, and happy weather often produced happy people. It was June 6th, a public holiday on Vegeta-sei. But it was not a holiday for celebrating, it was a day of planetary mourning.

On this day, exactly 8 years ago, Frieza and his army had come, and in one day, they wiped out more than two thirds of the planets' people. Millions of innocent Sayians died, and many hundreds of thousands more were injured. There was probably not one surviving Sayian that had not lost someone they loved.

It had been catastrophic, aside from the death toll, the financial market crashed, any tourism that the planet had had was lost and pretty much everything that Vegeta-sei had exported around the galaxy was destroyed.

But they had come through, the Sayians rebuilt their cites, and the planet was repopulating itself, thought many of the Sayians were still young, one day Vegeta-sei would thrive again. Exportation was doing as well as ever and the stock market was booming. The Sayian allegiance was still going strong, it was probably one of the biggest inter-planetary treaty's in existence.

Yes, Frieza's doings had crippled them, but not destroyed them, they were a warrior race and nothing would bring them down.

But today was a day to remember those who were lost. Religious services were held in honour of the deceased, schools, banks and all shops were closed. In other words, everything stopped. Whether it was inside the palace walls or not.

He knew what today was, how could he forget, it was easily the most important day on the Sayian calendar.

It was still dark outside and cold too. But he wasn't as reluctant to pull himself out from the thick covers as he usually was.

Krillen sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his hands through his sleep-tousled hair, throwing a glance at the clock, he groaned and rolled his eyes. It wasn't even 6am yet. Standing up, he stretched his arms up to the distant ceiling. Why was he so short? Neither of his parents had been short, yet both himself and his brother were not tall.

Bringing his arms down, he grabbed hold of his tail and began to rub his hand up and down the fluffy appendage to wake it up, after sleeping on it all night it had gone numb. Next he went over to his huge cupboard and pulled out a pair of dressy black slacks, a white shirt, black tie and black jacket. Then he laid them out on the bed and headed into his bathroom for a shower.

This was not going to be an easy day for him. It never was, it usually ended in tears, and today would be no different.

***

Chi-chi sat in the car and started blankly out the window at the scenery rolling by. She didn't like going to memorial services, to many painfully memories for her to handle. She averted her eyes away from the window and to the other side of the car. Vegeta was sitting beside the other window, looking just as glum as her, though he was trying to hide it. Chi-chi knew her big brother to well. They had always been close despite the 5-year age gap and she could tell he was hurting more than he was letting show.

She briefly stopped to glace at Krillen, who was sitting opposite Vegeta, he looked like he was about to be sick, which was how she felt. The last person she looked at was he father, and he looked the worst out of them all. His eyes were red, his tail was bushy. His tie had not been done up properly. He was a mess 

"Come here papa" she said quietly as she leaned forward and tugged at her father's tie. With little effort, she had untied it and retied it like a pro. "There you go" she said once she had finished.

"Thanks" said the King as he leaned back against the soft leather seat of the limo

About 5 minutes later, the expensive black car pulled to a stop and Chi-chi once again looked out the window, glad that people couldn't see in. They were at a big expensive church, where the morning memorial service would be held. She could see many people all walking up the short hill and disappearing inside.

"Well shall we go then?" the King asked this 3 children as the door was opened from the outside. The 3 young adults all nodded and followed the King out the car and up the hill.

Krillen looked around in awe, he came here every year, and every year it amazed him. The church was a huge cathedral. Every step you took echoed in the quiet room. They came to a stop just inside the door and the King spoke the one of the ushers and he lead them right to the very front of the extremely full church. To a pew that was reserved just for them. They all sat down, each of them feeling uncomfortable, and each of them hating every second of it.

***

18 sat in her bed, legs crossed, blanket pulled right up to her neck. For them, it was like having the morning off. Everyone in the palace had gone off to attend the morning services, and of course, no one had remembered about the slaves. So they were all sitting around, doing nothing, which was something they hadn't done in years.

Nison strolled casually into the room then, and he sat himself down on the end of 18's bed.

"Morning" he whispered as to not wake up 17 and Tarie.

"Morning" she whispered back.

"So, where's your prince?" asked Nison, he really didn't get along with Krillen, he liked 18 too, and the way he saw it, Krillen was invading on his territory.

18 raised an eyebrow at Nison, why did he say it like that? "He's at the memorial service," she said "I assume he'll stop by later though. He always does" she had to smirk when she saw the look on Nison's face. He did not look impressed with her answer.

But she was right, if Krillen didn't see her while she was working during the day, he would almost always stop by after nightfall to see her. There friendship was getting more and more important to both of them, 18 couldn't speak for Krillen, but for her, seeing him was the highlight of her day, it was her main motivation to go upstairs each morning and work for that bitch of a mistress Chi-chi.

All of a sudden a low moaning sound came from the next bed, both 18 and Nison looked across to find out what the hell it was, to see it was only 17. He rolled over and stretched him arms out in front of him.

"Hey sis, Nison" he mumbled

"Hi" they both replied in unison, then they looked at each other and laughed.

***

She knew he was sitting right behind her, and all she wanted to do was turn around and say hi. But it would have to wait. The priest was just concluding his sermon, then they would be free to go. Of course they wouldn't get any farther than the grassy slope outside the church before the King would have to stop and mingle with his people.

"And that concluded today's service. I pray that you all have a safe trip home and that your loved ones are watching over" Chi-chi tuned back in just to hear the final quote. Slowly people started to file out the church into the cold morning.

As soon as she was outside and had buttoned up her jacket, she began to search for Kakkarot, he found her first though, and practically plowed through the crowd to get to her.

"Hi Chi" he said, fog coming out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Hi," she greeted "how are you?"

"I've been better," he replied honestly "I've never really liked this day much"

"Same here" agreed Chi-chi, she could feel her crown slipping off the top of her head, and she reached up to fix it, but Kakkarot beat her to it. "Thank-you" she said as she shoved her hands back into the pockets of her jacket.

"So I was wondering" began Kakkarot but then he stopped, hesitating.

"Yes, go on" urged Chi-chi, already have a clue of what he was wondering

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to my parents ball next week?" he asked, speaking rather fast.

"I would be honoured to attend with you Kakkarot" said Chi-chi with a smile, then she reached up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, causing him to go bright red.

***

Everyone was awake now, talking or wandering around board. 18 still sat in the same spot on her bed, Tarie was sitting opposite her on the bed she shared with 17.

"You know what?" asked 18 out of no where.

Tarie looked up and smiled at 18 "what?" she asked.

"I think I'm going to go upstairs and do some work" replied 18.

Tarie raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Why?" she asked.

"Well think about it," began 18 "I'm freezing my ass off down here, and if I get most of my work done while Chi-chi is not here to hit me, then I can work quicker and maybe have some time off this afternoon"

"You know, that's not such a bad idea" agreed Tarie, who didn't work for a master or mistress like 18 did, she just worked where she was told, a lot of the time she worked on general cleaning duties or in the garden. 18 sometimes did that kind of thing to, if she managed to finish all of Chi-chi's jobs, more often than not, someone else would have something for her to do.

"Do you want some help?" asked Tarie, who was also bored

"What?" asked 18 "You want to help?"

"Sure," Tarie shrugged, "Why not"

"Ok then" said 18 as she got out of the warm bed and pulled on her dirty tattered skirt. She went to find 17 while Tarie got ready. She found him talking with Nison, his best friend.

"17" She called as she walked across the room. He looked up and waved at her.

"Tarie and I are going upstairs for a while ok" she informed him

17 nodded his head "Ok" he said.

***

Tarie whistled in amazement as 18 pushed open the door to Chi-chi's room "It's not that amazing" stated 18 flatly.

"Are you kidding!?" asked Tarie in awe, "It's huge, and warm, and it smells nice, and oh my god, she has a shower in here!"

18 shook her head in disbelief. Then she headed over to the desk where Chi-chi kept 18's list of jobs, sure enough there was one there for today.

"Alright Tarie, first up we have some laundry to do, or you could get started on that while I tidy up in here, then I'll come join you" 18 suggested.

"Laundry" Tarie sulked "Can't I tidy?"

"No, I know exactly how Chi-chi likes it, it won't take long"

Tarie stuck out her lower lip in a pout, before she smiled at 18 and picked up the big basket of dirty clothing. 18 watched her go, totally confused. That girl was a strange one, she was about 5 months older than the twins, but she didn't act like it. She was always trying to turn everything into a game, 18 though that maybe it was so she could try and escape the fact that it wasn't a game, it was reality – a living hell that she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried.

Letting a long sigh pass her soft lips, 18 did a quick scan of the room, it was relatively clean, only the bed needed to be made and the rather large bathroom that adjoined the room was in need of a scrub. But before she did that, 18 walked over to the huge window and pulled open the curtains letting in the small amount of sunlight that was poking out from under the clouds. She opened the window a little and deeply inhaled all the fresh air.

It was going to rain.

She could smell it in the air, it wouldn't be long until the sky opened and drenched the entire planet.

Quickly 18 set to work and it wasn't long until she joined Tarie in the laundry room. Well in actual fact, it was just a room with a big long row of sink with wash boards in them, and the taps weren't connected to a hot water service. So you had to do all the laundry in icy cold water, and to get the bigger items in you would have to at least be up to your elbows in it.

***

18 was right, she had worked hard, and only two hours after they had started 18 and Tarie had finished. Now 18 was the only place she wanted to be, she was surprised 17 wasn't here, maybe he had already stoped by or maybe he was planning to stop by later.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she kneeled on the soft, wet ground in front of Astrid's grave and she quickly wiped it away, she had always been taught that tears were a sign of weakness, and that weakness should never be revealed to anyone.

She wasn't weak, and she wouldn't have anyone thinking otherwise.

"Astrid, it's me 18" she said slowly, she paused, as if waiting for some sort of reply or indication that Astrid had heard her, but when none came, she continued to talk.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you for so long, but I've been busy, and then I got really sick, I'm still not well, and Krillen tells me to stay inside, but I had to see you today. You know what today is don't you?" she asked. "Of course you do" she said after a few minutes.

After that 18 was quiet for a long time, she ran her hand over the smooth, still relatively new tombstone, and when the tears started to leak again, she didn't try to stop them, so be it if someone thought she was weak.

"I thought I might find you here".

18's head snapped up and she saw Krillen, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought, today being the day it is and all, you might not want to be alone" he replied as he knelled down next to her, getting the knees of his suit all muddy. He reached out and wiped the tears off 18's cheeks with his thumb, smiling warmly at her as he did. "It's ok" he said, seemingly reading her mind.

"What's this?" asked 18 as she reached out and plucked Krillen's crown off his head and placed it own her own, but it was to big, and it slipped unevenly covering one of her eyes. Krillen had to laugh, but he made no attempt to take it from her.

"Thank-you" said 18 after some time.

"Anytime" replied Krillen knowing exactly what she was talking about.

A short while later both Krillen and 18 had moved, now they were in front of a big shiny tombstone, it belong to that of Queen Lumie.

"Tell me about you're mother Krillen? I don't remember mine very well" asked 18 as she read over the inscription on the tomb.

Krillen took a deep breath "My mother was one of the beautiful people I've ever known, on the inside and on the out. She was nothing like Vegeta or Chi-chi or even my father," he spoke with such love in her voice that 18 knew she must have been an amazing woman. "She was never to busy for me, the Prince that didn't fit in anywhere, she made me feel like I actually mattered to someone, that I ment something"

"You matter to me" 18 interrupted him. He looked up at her, his eyes shiny with tears that were waiting to fall, he smiled kindly at her, and continued to talk "Everybody loved my mother. Everybody" his voice cracked and a loud sob escaped his throat, then the tears exploded down his cheeks, he turned away from 18 and cried.

"It's ok" 18 mimicked his words from earlier and she placed a hand on his shoulder, she could feel him shaking.

"Frieza had no right to take her!" his voice grew louder as he spoke, but he quickly lost it again. "I saw it 18, I saw it all" he whimpered.

"What? What did you see?" she asked him, she wanted to help him but she didn't know how, never had she had to deal with emotions, not once.

"I saw him kill her. I was only 11, but I'll never forget it. It still haunts and plagues my dreams at night. Until I met you, I hadn't had a single happy dream in years"

18 double blinked, what had he just said, a small smile touched her lips, thought today was no day to be smiling. But the smile faded when Krillen began to speak again, his tail curling and uncurling as he went.

"I was hiding from him, from Frieza, under a chair. I never have been very brave. And then, out of nowhere, I heard the most high pitched scream of my life and then my mother burst right into the very room I was hiding in, and then I saw Frieza, and to this day, I have never seen a more horrible sight than him." Krillen sobbed as he spoke, and he stopped periodically just so he could breath properly.

"And my mother was screaming, begging him to stop, to leave the innocent villagers alone, she tried everything to make him stop, but he wouldn't. And then I remember his exact words, he said 'Lumie, dear, beautiful Queen Lumie, I'm afraid it's time for you to meet your demise'. And I was so scared, and then the next thing I knew, my mother was on the ground, blood pouring out of the big whole in her chest".

"I'm sorry Krillen, you don't have to go on" said 18, she could feel the water building up in the corners of her eyes.

But Krillen ignored her, he just kept right on talking, and 18 wondered if he even realised that she was still there. "I raced out from my hiding spot, amazed I was still alive, and straight to my mother. But it was too late, she was gone and her body was already getting cold. It hurt so bad." Krillen stoped and looked up at her then, his eyes red and puffy from tears. "I've never told anyone what I saw that day, you're the first person I've ever trusted enough to tell"

18 was shocked, she looked down at her shaking hands, not knowing what to think of this whole situation or what to say to Krillen.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Krillen. I wish I knew what to say to help you, but I don't. Please don't hate me for it because I am trying, I'm just failing horribly, that's all" she said without looking up at him. Krillen smiled through his tears and took the crown off 18's head, then he tucked her hair behind her ears to reveal her beautiful blue eyes.

"I want to ask you something, you don't have to say yes if you don't want to, I'm only offering" he said.

18 nodded her head "Ok go ahead"

"The Son family, well every year they hold a ball, and it's on next week, I probably won't go unless I have someone to go with. And well I was wondering if maybe you would like to come with me?" he asked meekly.

"Come with you?" 18 repeated "I don't think so Krillen, I wouldn't fit in there, and I don't think I'm allowed outside the palace walls"

"So that's a no then"

"Don't think of it like that, it's just, well look at me, I can hardly go to a ball, I'm a mess. And besides I don't have a dress" she explained, trying to let him down as gently as possible.

"But what if I could get you a dress, then would you come?" Krillen asked, hope once again in his eyes

"Maybe, but what about all the other things you need to go to a ball, like a hairbrush and make up and a shower"

"I'll get all of it for you if you say you'll come. 18 there is no one I would rather go with than you, it would make me so happy"

"Krillen I would go with you, but I just don't think it's possible. Think about it Krillen, I'm sure you can find someone better than me to take. There are lots of women out there who are much worthier to be with you. And I wouldn't feel comfortable around that many people"

"18, you just sat and listened to my entire story, and you didn't laugh at me or make fun of me or tell me to shut up and piss off. You are special to me 18, you're my first real friend ever. Please, say you'll come to the ball with me. I'll get you everything you need, I promise, and the second you start to feel awkward or uncomfortable around them, I'll bring to straight home again. I promise"

18 sat quiet for a minute, in deep though, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it well, she didn't do crowds, but how could she say no to him, and especially today, and when he had just confided in her what he had told no one else.

"Ok," she said, "If you can get all the stuff, I guess I'll come, but don't expect to much from me ok"

"Ok," said Krillen "Thank-you for doing this for me 18. You have no idea how much this means to me"

***

A/N; Well what did you think, love it, hate it, I wanna know? Tell me in a review. Next chapter will be up A.S.A.P! 

~D.B


	17. Almost

Disclaimer; Do I really need to repeat myself....For the millionth time, I don't own DBZ!

A/N;. NEW CHAPTER! Ok here we go again. But before we begin, I want to say thanks to all the people who are reviewing this fic. It really means a lot to me that you like this, since in the beginning I was so nervous about posting this. It's my first A/U! Well anyway, I'm rambling now... so lets get on with it shall we. ~D.B

****

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 16

Vegeta was fretting, the Son ball was only 2 days away and he hadn't found a date, and if he showed up by himself he would look like a moron.

"Vegeta, relax, you'll pop a vein or something" commented Chi-chi from the other side of the table. Vegeta looked up at his little sister and smirked, "I most certainly will not" he replied.

Chi-chi gave him an odd smirk and threw herself into her father's throne.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and turned back to the sheet of notes from the morning's briefing. He and his sister had been given the responsibility of keeping the planet running smoothly for 3 days, it wasn't really hard work, since both brother and sister knew what they were doing well. But today Vegeta just couldn't concentrate.

Chi-chi let out a frustrated groan and marched over to her brother. "All right Veg-head spill"

He gave her an irritated glare "Don't call me that. And what makes you think I have anything to spill"

"My god, it is so obvious. Now what's wrong, I'm sure I can help" said Chi-chi as she batted her eyelids.

"Fine," Vegeta gave in just to get his sister off his back, "I don't have a date for the ball"

Chi-chi's jaw dropped, "Serious?" she asked "Take B-Chan. I mean, she's got a mega crush on you so she'd be happy to do it"

Bulma had a crush on him? Well that was news to him, he just thought of them as friends. But it did make sense to ask her. They knew each other well, so there would be no awkward introductions, and they both lived in the same place, so there would be no problems getting her there and back again, plus she was cute so he wouldn't have to worry about taking some ugly chick.

"Well I suppose I could" he tried not to sound to thrilled about it.

Chi-chi jumped up and down and clapped her hands together, "This is so great. Go ask her right now, I'll take care of things here" she said and she pushed him out of the throne room.

Vegeta grumbled as he made his way down the hall, he did not like being told what to do. Soon he was at the lab where Bulma helped her father during the day. He knocked once then pushed open the door and strolled into the brightly lit lab.

"Woman, you in here?" called Vegeta.

"Is that you Vegeta?" replied Bulma from somewhere else in the lab.

"Yeah". A few minutes later Bulma came around a corner in a white lab coat, her long blue hair tied back in a loose ponytail, she was wiping her greasy hands on the nice white coat. "Hi" she said.

"Your filthy" commented Vegeta.

Bulma looked down, he was right, she was covered in grease and grime. She looked up at him, shrugged her shoulders and flashed him a brilliant smile, "Yeah" she said "But what can I do for you?"

Vegeta tugged at the collar of his shirt, for some reason he felt hot all of a sudden, but he was not one to beat around the bush, so he just came out and asked. "Do you want to come to the Son's ball with me?"

Bulma looked shocked, "What? Why?" she asked.

"Well I don't have anyone else to ask, and Chi-chi seems to think it would be a good idea and I'd rather go with a cute person than some freak"

Bulma blushed, "You think I'm cute"

Oh god, how was Vegeta gonna get himself out of this one, he'd accidentally let that one slip and she'd picked up on it. Curse that woman and her super intelligent brain.

"Whatever, you wanna come or not?"

"Sure Vegeta, I'll go with you" replied Bulma.

"Good," he said then he turned to leave, "Find Chi-chi, she'll tell you the rest" he said, and with that he was gone. Bulma watched him leave then collapsed into the nearest chair.

"Oh my god" she uttered quietly "Oh my god!" This was positively, the best thing that had ever happened to her. What was she going to wear? How should she do her hair? So many questions, she felt like she was about to faint.

***

Krillen wandered up and down one of the most prestigious shopping strips on Vegeta-sei, he was on a mission. A mission to find the perfect dress for 18, but so far he had found nothing that would do her beautiful face justice. Stopping outside the next shop he gazed into the window for a few seconds before pushing the door open and strolling inside.

"Good afternoon sir, do you need any assistance?". Krillen just shook his head numbly, for his eyes had locked on to a truly beautiful gown. It was just what he had been looking for. He quickly spun back around. "Excuse me" he called to the sales lady. She turned around and came back over to Krillen. She knew who she was dealing with, and she appeared extremely nervous.

"How much is that?" Krillen asked pointing to the dress. The lady smiled, "I believe it is $12,000" she said.

"And what is the smallest size it comes in?" he asked

"We stock as small as a size 6" the lady replied.

"Ok, thank you. I'll take that one in a size 6" The lady nodded and led Krillen to the sales counter. There he waited patiently as she went in the back of the shop to fetch the dress. When she came back she had a big white box wrapped in silver ribbon. Krillen swiped his card and then typed in his pin.

"So is that for someone special?" asked the sales lady.

"Yeah it is," replied Krillen as he picked the box up off he counter, "Thanks" he said and he left the store.

Once he was outside, he sat down on the first available bench he saw. And he was pretty sure he heard the snap of a camera as he did so. That wasn't uncommon around here, and when you were the son of the King, you got used to having your privacy breeched.

Well that was the easy part of the shopping trip over, he'd found the dress. But he still needed shoes and an evening bag and accessories, it was going to take him all day. But it was worth it for 18.

***

Chi-chi and Bulma sat sprawled out on Chi-chi's bed, flipping through all the latest fashion magazines.

"What about this one?" asked Bulma as she shoved the picture under Chi-chi's noes. "It's very cute," replied Chi-chi "I'm so glad you said yes" Bulma sat up on the bed and crossed her legs.

"Of course I said yes stupid. Why the hell would I say no?"

Chi-chi rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. "I know you wouldn't say no. But just think how much fun this is going to be" squeaked Chi-chi. Bulma laughed and hurled a pillow at her best friend's face.

There was a third person in the room, but no one remembered she was there. 18 looked up and watched the two girls engaged in the pillow fight and growled deep in her throat. The blue haired girl, 18 didn't know, she'd seen her around, but she'd never had anything to do with her, all she knew was that her name was Bulma. But Chi-chi, she was a different story, all she wanted to do was wrap her hands around her neck and kill her with her own two hands. Just then Chi-chi shot her a glare than would have sent anyone but 18 cowering in the other direction, unfortunately for Chi-chi though, 18 had mastered the art of the death glare, and she put it to full use, and sure enough Chi-chi shifted her gaze.

Grumbling to herself again, 18 turned back to the task at hand, she was busy scrubbing Chi-chi walls, though she was sure she had done it only a few weeks ago, but there was nothing she could do about it.

***

It didn't take long for the day of the Son's ball to arrive, everyone involved was excited, everyone but 18. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, or that she was even going out. She knew they would ridicule her for it.

She had been upstairs, and was pleasantly surprised to find that in her excited state, Chi-chi had forgotten to leave her a task sheet. So she had headed out into the garden, where she knew 17 was working, which was where she was now. Sitting on a bench while she watched him mow a huge lawn, it would take him hours to finish.

She shifted off the seat and onto the soft green grass, crossing her legs she rested her back against the bench. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and let out a long sigh. It wasn't a warm day, but it wasn't cold, just the right temperature for sitting outside in the sun under the blue sky that was speckled with huge, fluffy white clouds.

Suddenly the droning sound of the lawn mower died, 18 opened one eye, only to see her brother strolling over, an inquisitive look on his face.

"What?" she asked as he sat down next to her.

"Shouldn't you be busy right now?" he replied with a question of his own

"You'd think that wouldn't you" stated 18 in her usual flat monotone voice.

The twins were silent for a few minutes, both deep in thoughts of their own, yet both only to aware of what was going through each others mind. It was like some special kind of bond that they shared as twins, they could both tell how the other felt with no more than a quick glance. Sometimes it was a blessing to have someone know what you were going through, though at other times, there was nothing more irritating.

"Do you remember when we were young 17?" asked the blonde twin as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear

"Not really, sometimes I dream little bits, but not often. You?" he asked.

"Same," she said "Sometimes I can remember, but not often"

"Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to be normal, and live outside?"

"Sometimes" 18 sighed "Well maybe more than sometimes, ok a lot. Ever since I was 11 I wondered what it be like to live outside, even just as a peasant"

"Me too" agreed 17, then he stood up "Well I'd better get back to it hey"

"I guess so," 18 stood up to, and briefly embraced her brother "I'll see you later ok"

***

"Wow, this is one fancy place" said Bulma in awe as she looked around the beauty salon. Chi-chi really had spared no expense at making them look amazing for the ball. They were currently standing in the lobby of one of the most expensive and prestigious salons on Vegeta-sei.

A lady in a very short dress came out a door then, she took her place behind the counter and quickly ran her perfectly manicured nails through her beautiful black hair.

"Ah, madam Chi-chi. Such a pleasure to see you again" she said. Chi-chi nodded her head and smiled at the slightly older woman, before grabbing hold of Bulma's wrist and dragging her into the back of the salon.

A short time later, Bulma and Chi-chi were sitting in very expensive chair, getting the ultimate make over. Manicure and pedicure, of course their nails were painted colours that would compliment the dresses they would be wearing. Their hair was washed, then given all sorts of weird treatments to get it into styles that the hairdressers deemed good enough for them to wear.

"This is so much fun" said Bulma, who adored being pampered.

"I know" agreed Chi-chi. Soon some women came out to check on the girl's hair and do some final styling to it. By the time they were done, they looked like new girls.

Bulma's usually curly hair had been straightened, then the stop half had been sectioned off from the bottom half and tied up in a very fancy way, then it had been slightly re-curled, it looked beautiful.

As for Chi-chi, her long straight hair that fell about halfway down her back, had been curled into very tiny, very tight ringlets that now fell to just above her shoulders and they were just left to hang there like that, it was stunning.

"You both look marvellous" complimented one of the ladies as Chi-chi swiped her card to pay. "You'll knock their socks off tonight. I wish I was going"

Chi-chi laughed at looked up at the lady "Lots of people wish they were going. Well thanks" she said as she followed Bulma outside and straight into the waiting car, there was no way they were going to mess up their hair by flying.

***

Krillen looked down at his watch, it read 3.36. "Where is she?" he asked himself as he quickened his pace down the halls, looking in all the spots she might be. Yet he just couldn't find her. "Figures, the one time I'm looking for her, and she vanishes on me"

"You're not looking for me by any chance are you?" came a smooth voice from behind him. Krillen stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.

"You're exactly who I'm looking for!" he exclaimed

18 rolled her eyes and took the few steps towards him. "Why" she asked

"Why?" he repeated, "So we can get you ready for tonight. C'mon" he said as he led her down the hall.

18 gulped and followed him, she really wasn't sure about this anymore, she didn't know if she could go through with it. But did she really have a choice?

She followed him down the halls for a few minutes, before they eventually arrived at Krillens bedroom.

"I put all the things I got for you on my bed. You can shower, and I got everything I though you might need. I hope you like what I chose for you"

18 smiled at him "I'm sure it will be great"

"Now I'm gonna need to come in about 2 hours so I can get ready, will that be enough time?" he asked.

"I'm sure it will be, and anyway, the room is more than big enough for two" 18 replied.

Krillen laughed and 18 noticed a faint pink blush tinge his cheeks. He unlocked the door, and opened it for 18, then gently shutting it behind her, he headed for the G.R's.

18 rested against the door and closed her eyes. After a long minute she opened her eyes and looked towards the bed in the corner of the huge room, as Krillen had said, there was everything she would need there. As she made her way over there, her eyes rested on the big white box, but she quickly decided that before she opened it, a shower was in order.

Almost 40 minutes later, she emerged, feeling great. There was nothing like a hot shower full of steam to make you feel refreshed. Unless of course it was a shower full of steam and all kinds of nice smelling shampoos and body scrubs. With only a fluffy white towel covering her, 18 made her way back over to her new things. She noticed a small black bag sitting separately from all the rest and she picked it up and turned it upside down, she had to laugh at what fell out. A pair of lace light blue panties and a matching bra. For some reason 18 though it was cute. She slipped into them, and oh how wonderful it felt to wear something clean.

Her eyes scanned over the millions of little things Krillen had brought for her, ranging from every type of make up and hair accessory available to little and big things 18 had never seen before.

The next thing she did was open the big white box and a loud gasp escaped her lips as she did do.

Holding the dress up she looked at it in amazement, it was absolutely stunning. The dress was crystal blue, and made out of silk. It fell all the way to the ground. It had thin spaghetti straps, which formed a halter neck, and a low cut bodice. The back of the dress had been cut out, so that 18's back would show. It was beautiful.

She quickly put it on, and turned to look in the mirror. It fit her all most perfectly, only being the tiniest bit too big, but that wouldn't matter.

"Wow" 18 muttered to herself, as her fingers gently touched the soft material. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so special.

After a few minutes of admiring herself, she managed to pull her eyes away. Sitting down on the bed, she picked a shoebox up off the floor and opened it.

Only to be stunned again.

The shoes were of the same colour as the dress, they had fair sized heel on them, and were done up with a strap and buckle. She pulled them on and did them up. The she picked up the assortment of cosmetics and took them all over to the big dresser and sat in front of it.

Some time later, 18 heard knocking on the door. It had to be Krillen.

"Can I come in 18?" she heard him call.

"Yeah" she replied.

The door creaked open and she watched Krillen in the mirror, he shut the door, then spotted 18 looking at him and stopped.

18 stood up and faced him. "Well," she asked, "What do you think?"

Krillen's mouth fell open. Never in all of his 19 years had he seen someone look so beautiful. Not even his own mother rivalled what he saw standing before him.

"18," he began, then stopped to find the right words, "You look......breathtaking".

18 blushed slightly at his words, and turned back to the mirror. She had pinned her hair back with fancy clips and she had curled it slightly, leaving a few strands hanging at the front. Her make up was flawless, it looked like it had been done professionally. "I'm not done yet" she said as she picked up a brush.

"Well, I'll...uh...be in the...er...shower" said Krillen, suddenly loosing all of his confidence and composure. 18 noticed this and looked at him oddly, but said nothing.

***

"Well what do you think?" asked Chi-chi as she did a twirl for Bulma

"You look so cute" replied Bulma happily.

Chi-chi was wearing a deep red evening gown with a hint of silver glitter on it, it had spaghetti straps that criss-crossed all way down her back before meeting up with the bulk of the dress. It had a long split up either side, and showed of Chi-chi's legs and very expensive red shoes that made her a good 4 inches taller. Her now curly hair was hanging loose and her sparkling crown was sitting nicely on top of her head, she was wearing fiery red eye make up, and she clutched a small red purse.

"And you look great as well" said Chi-chi eagerly.

Bulma stood up and looked down at her attire. Her dress wasn't as modest as most others, but she took pride in her body and loved to flaunt it.

The dress was black and glittery, it was a halter neck, but it was very low cut, in fact, it didn't meet until after Bulma's pierced bellybutton. It had splits that went almost all the way up Bulma's leg. Her shoes were black heels that had long strings, which Bulma had wrapped around her ankles. She had very natural make up on. She had also added more attention to her already very noticeable mid-section by wearing a diamond necklace that shone and reflected off all the lights in the room.

"I don't know how you can be game enough to ware that" commented Chi-chi as she eyed her friend.

Bulma shrugged and laughed "What can I say".

***

A/N; Well there you go. What did you think? I'd love to know. The next chapter is the grand Son Ball and I guarantee there are going to be a few surprises in store for a few of our peeps. Can you guess what's gonna happen next? 

Well it's almost school holidays. (Thank-god!) And I'll have plenty of time to write, so hopefully next chappie shouldn't be to far off.

~D.B


	18. The Son Ball

Disclaimer; If I owned DBZ do you think I would be writing fanfiction? Actually if I owned DBZ I probably WOULD be writing fanfiction

A/N; Yay! New chappie! I'm really excited about this chapter. It's the grand Son Ball, and there are a few big surprises in store. Read it and tell me what you think! ~Deadly Beauty

****

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 17

Kakkarot wiped his hands on his tux and pressed the doorbell. He was nervous. Sure he'd seen Chi-chi before this, he'd seen her lots of times. But this was the first 'real' date they had gone on. He knew he liked her, and he hoped she liked him.

Someone opening the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Ah, master Kakkarot, won't you please come in" greeted the butler. He nodded and smiled and stepped into the main hall of the grand palace.

"Madame Chi-chi should be down shortly" said the old man and he disappeared down the hall"

Kakkarot looked around the room, and he spotted Vegeta leaning against a post a few meters away. Like Kakkarot, he was dressed in a black tux.

"Hi" greeted Kakkarot as he held out his hand. Vegeta nodded and shook his hand.

Not another word was spoken between the two men, it was an awkward silence and they were both relieved when the butler came back. He looked at Kakkarot.

"Madame Chi-chi is ready". Kakkarot took a few steps towards the grand staircase and clasped his hands in front of him. He waited patiently for a few minutes.

Then he saw her.

And she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Chi-chi arrived at the bottom of the stairs and greeted Kakkarot with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You look great" she said using all of her charm.

"You look like an angel" replied Kakkarot and Chi-chi blushed the same colour as her dress.

She noticed Vegeta was still waiting and she walked over to him. "Wait till you see Bulma. She looks so beautiful"

Vegeta was about to reply with a no doubt smart-ass comment when the tapping of heels at the top of the stairs stopped him. He looked up at Bulma and felt his mouth go dry. Even Kakkarot's eyes widened in shock. Vegeta walked forward and greeted Bulma at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well what do you think?" she asked.

"So so" replied Vegeta. It was an obvious lie, he was breath taken, she looked stunning.

Bulma swung her bag at his head "Trust you to say something like that" she said.

***

18 sat on the bed waiting for Krillen to finish brushing his hair, he looked so cute in his black tux. Without thinking about it, she let a loud long sigh escape her lips. Krillen turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," replied 18 "I probably should have told 17 I wasn't going to be in tonight, that's all"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said "C'mon, let's go".

18 stood up and held up the bottom of her dress. Then she followed Krillen down the hall and outside to the limo that was waiting just for them. They were the last to leave the palace that night and the entire trip to the Son Manner 18 was fretting like crazy. What would Chi-chi do to her when she saw her there? Would she be able to make it through the night? So many thoughts running through her mind.

Krillen noticed her uneasiness and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Hey, calm down, you're making me nervous" he tried to calm her with a joke, then his tone turned more serious "It's gonna be ok, I won't let anything happen to you. Remember what I said? The moment you don't like it, we're outta there"

18 smiled a nodded a little, "good" she said quietly

***

The black limo pulled up to the red carpet and sat idol for a few minutes. Leaving the reporters and un-invited Sayians hoping to get a glimpse of a famous one, wondering who had just arrived. Finally the door was opened and out climbed Kakkarot, the crowd went wild, he smiled and waved, the flash of camera's blinding him. Next he helped Chi-chi out of the car, and once again, the crowed got loud and pictures were taken. Hand in hand they made their way up the carpet, stopping every now and again to shake hands or answer reporters questions.

It didn't take much over a minute for the couple to arrive at the end of the walkway. Just as they were turning the corner, another car pulled up, which Chi-chi guessed, contained her brother and best friend.

"Kakkarot, let's wait for Bulma and Vegeta here, then we can all go in together" she suggested as she squeezed his hand from all the excitement.

"Ok" agreed Kakkarot cheerfully.

"Oh my god Vegeta, this is amazing!" squealed Bulma as she posed for the photographers. She could hear the whistles and catcalls coming from the crowd. "C'mon Vegeta, let's go" she yelled over the crowd and she clutched his hand and lead him up the red carpet.

Vegeta was somewhat glad for Bulma's excitement and lack of clothing. They had all been to busy looking at Bulma to care about him and hound him with questions he would rather not answer, and Bulma had been so eager to get inside that they hadn't wasted time on the carpet.

Once they were at the far end, Bulma wrapped her arms around Chi-chi in a tight hug. "This is so cool" she said. 

"See Veg-head, I told you asking B-Chan was a good idea" said Chi-chi as she re-adjusted her eldest brothers crown.

"Don't ever call me that again" sneered Vegeta. Chi-chi stuck her tongue out at him and took hold of Kakkarot's hand again "Let's go" she said and the group headed towards the grand hall.

***

Neha and Bardok stood at the huge double doors that lead into the ballroom, which fancy music could be heard floating out of.

They were quietly talking to one and other when the tapping of shoes should be heard on the marble floor. They looked up to see their son and his friends.

"Kakkarot!" cried Neha and she pulled him into her embrace, embarrassing him greatly.

"Mum!' he cried and squirmed out of her grip.

"Good evening Chi-chi, you look lovely" greeted Bardok as he took Chi-chi's hand and gently kissed the back of it, then he proceeded to do the same to Bulma.

Chi-chi wrapped one of her arms around Kakkarot's waist, much to the pleasure of his parents. "Has my father arrived yet?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe he is inside already" replied Neha.

"Thank-you" said Chi-chi the group headed into the ballroom.

"Wow" said Bulma in awe as she looked around the huge room. Right in the center of the room was a huge dance floor, and there were many couples already putting it to good use. At the far end of the room was a raised platform with two steps up, and on top was a long buffet table, adorned with every type of food imaginable. And at the end there was a huge punch fountain spilling out a light pink liquid.

Draped down from the high ceilings were long satin drapes, they were connected to the walls and forming drapes on the long windows. There was a big set of doors to the left of the buffet tables that lead out to a big brightly lit patio, that was high off the ground, and to the other side of the table were lots and lots of tables of all shapes and sized.

Casting her eyes up again, Bulma spotted a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling, it was made of crystal and hand hundreds of lights on it, making the whole room shine different colours.

"This is your house?" Bulma turned to Kakkarot with wide eyes.

"Yep" replied Kakkarot proudly.

"I am so jealous. C'mon Vegeta, let's go dance" stated Bulma, as if saying no was not an option. Vegeta however thought otherwise. "I will not dance, especially with you!"

Bulma shot him a death glare. "Now you listen here, I did not get all dressed up to just sit in the corner all night and watch other people have fun. You will dance with me whether you want to or not" she said and she grabbed his hand and dragged him off.

Chi-chi and Kakkarot laughed and watched Vegeta get dragged into the crowd.

"Well I hope I'm not going to have that much trouble getting you to dance" said Chi-chi as she wrapped her arms around Kakkarot's waist. Kakkarot let a loud boisterous laugh escape his lips, "Of course I'll dance with you Chi!"

***

The King sat at a table with Bardok and Neha watching the guest. He could see all three of his children in some place or another. He was particularly pleased to see his only daughter keeping awfully close to Kakkarot. Every where he went, there she was, and they both seemed to be loving it.

His eyes did another sweep of the room, this time resting on Vegeta, he was with the Brief's daughter, the one whose gown had been of much discussion. They were dancing, and even though the King didn't think it could happen, Vegeta seemed to be enjoying it. maybe there was hope for Vegeta after all, with the Brief girl. She was smart and trustworthy, if she really did manage to win Vegeta's heart, she would make a good Queen. He sighed, it had been so long since Vegeta-sei had had a Queen, so long since the planet had been ruled by a husband and wife team.

Finally the King spotted his youngest son. Krillen was sitting at a table at the other end of the room with a blonde woman, he wasn't quite sure who it was, but he thought he had seen her around before. Krillen seemed to be making a joke or something stupid, because the blonde girl was smiling and nodding and occasionally she laughed.

"Are you ok Vegeta?" asked Neha as she rested her hand on his.

The King blinked and looked at her, "I'm fine, thank-you" he replied.

***

Wiping his hands nervously on his hire suit he looked around the room, there were hundreds of people here, so it wouldn't be to hard for him to blend in with the crowd. Taking another quick glance around he took a step into the ballroom and instantly headed for the far end of the room, towards the buffet table.

He was nervous, if he managed to pull this off, he would be a millionaire, his tail twitched with excitement and he had to grab hold of it to stop it, and prevent blowing his cover. He had been working on this for weeks, him and his partner, and if he blew it they would both be locked up for a very long time.

Shutting his eyes for a moment, he tried to gather his thoughts. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and feel his hands shaking. Running his hands through his hair then down hi cheeks he took a few deep breaths.

"Calm down man, you can do this".

Looking at his watched he grimaced, it was only 8 o'clock, he still had half an hour to wait until every thing was going to be in place. He didn't know if he could last half an hour. Picking up a glass he filled it with punch and drank it in one go, then he poured himself another.

This was going to be the longest half-hour of his life.

***

"This is nice" sighed Bulma happily as she rested her head on Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta only grunted in reply, but Bulma could tell it was a grunt of agreement. The song finished and the band begun another, but Bulma and Vegeta were already walking off the dance floor towards the table where Chi-chi and Kakkarot were sitting

"You two looked so cute out there together" sighed Chi-chi. Bulma sat down next to Chi-chi and rested her hand on Vegeta's shoulder, "Your brother here is quite a dancer" commented Bulma.

"Perhaps, but he's not as good as my Kakkarot" challenged Chi-chi. Kakkarot blushed a light shade of pink and cast his eyes to the floor.

Bulma looked at her best friend and raised an eyebrow. "No way, Vegeta is so much better!"

"Alright then. Come on Kakkarot, let's go prove how much better you are than my stupid brother" Kakkarot laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "Whatever you say Chi"

Bulma wouldn't have any of it though, she grabbed Vegeta's hand and dragged him right back out to the dance floor.

"See B, I told you Kakkarot was a better dancer" said Chi-chi as Kakkarot dipped her. Bulma didn't reply, Chi-chi stood up straight and looked at her best friend with concern.

Bulma's eyes were transfixed on someone or something at the far end of the room, a look that somewhat resembled horror was plastered onto her face.

"B" said Chi-chi softly. No reply. "Bulma"

Bulma blinked and looked at her best friend. "Are you ok?" asked Chi-chi.

Bulma stepped back from Vegeta "Yeah, I'm fine" she said and she slowly headed towards the buffet table, as if she was in some kind of trance.

"Should we follow her?" asked Kakkarot, Chi-chi and Vegeta just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

***

It couldn't be could it. No, it just wasn't possible, there was no way he could have been invited. Bulma swallowed the lump in her throat and walked up the few steps.

"Yumcha?" she asked suspiciously, hoping it was just someone who looked like him from behind.

Yumcha's eyes grew wide, he knew that voice!

"Bulma!" he cried as he spun around. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited" her reply was short and to the point. She did not want to see this man, he had no right being here, he had haunted her dreams for too long and she would not let him haunt her reality as well.

"You shouldn't be here" she said

"And how do you know I wasn't invited?" he asked as he took a step towards her. He could hardly pull his eyes away from her, she had always been beautiful, but he had never ever seen anyone look this beautiful.

"Yumcha c'mon, there is no way in hell you could have been invited here. What did you do, knock out the security guards on the balcony?" she asked sarcastically, but when she noticed the stupid, embarrassed look on Yumcha's face she realised that that was exactly what he had done. "Oh my god," she muttered "That's pathetic"

They were quiet for a few minutes, each wondering what to say and do next. Bulma's mind was screaming for her to turn and run, to get away from this man, she knew first hand how dangerous he was. Her legs however had other idea, they had frozen to the ground, preventing her from running to Vegeta and hiding behind him. Her face was blank, not revealing any of the thoughts in her head, but she needed to say something and quick. She had to find out what he was up to.

"Yumcha, tell me," she paused for a few seconds "Why are you here? Really?"

"Well if I told you that I'd have to kill you" Bulma gulped at the cliche, because there was not a doubt in her mind that he wasn't kidding. This was one very dangerous Sayian she was dealing with.

Yumcha smirked at her and turned to leave, he had to get away from her before he blew his cover and she used that big mouth of hers to dob him in. "It was good to see you again Bulma, but I'm afraid I must be leaving now, I have many things to do tonight".

Bulma watched him go, she wanted to scream out and tell him to stop, she knew he was up to no good, and she knew it was up to her to stop him. But she couldn't. Bulma could feel herself shaking as she headed towards her table, she was scared, she had hoped never to see Yumcha again in all of her years.

"Are you alright B-Chan?" asked Chi-chi as she sat down at the table "You've gone all pale, do you feel ok?"

Bulma was quiet for a long moment "I'm fine...I'll be fine" she finally replied.

"You're shaking" commented Kakkarot "Do you want my jacket?" he asked.

"Bulma looked up at him and smiled "No thanks" she said.

Chi-chi looked up at Bulma, pure concern tainted her delicate features, she stood up and pulled Bulma up with her, "C'mon let's go" she said and dragged her friend off to the bathrooms.

***

18 looked up at the big clock on the wall, it read 9.10. She sighed, they had been here for just over an hour, she was absolutely amazed that Chi-chi hadn't noticed her yet, it was definitely a miracle. And even though she felt grossly out of place, she had to admit, she was enjoying her time with Krillen, he made her good, but most of all her made her feel normal. He treated her just like he would treat anyone else, he didn't judge her because she didn't have the nicest clothes or the best life. He liked her for her, he was her friend. And that was what she really needed right now – a friend.

She looked up and saw Krillen making his way over to her, holding two plates full of delicious looking food and two glasses of punch.

18 smiled at him and thanked him as he put the food down in front of her. He sat down opposite her and flashed him a big goofy grin.

"Eat up" he encouraged her. "You're to thin, you need to eat more" 18 grimaced at him, but didn't argue with him, because she knew he was right. She was to thin, and she did need to eat more.

"18, I want to say thank-you for coming here with me tonight. I know you don't feel comfortable, but it means a lot to me that you would do this for me. Thank-you"

18 felt her cheeks get hot, she was blushing. "It's ok Krillen. In don't mind doing things for you" she said. This time it was Krillen turn to go red.

He stuffed another forkful of food into his mouth and chewed rapidly. All 18 did was poke at hers she didn't really have much of an appetite, and she was feeling to out of place and worry about eating. After a few more minutes, Krillen spoke up again.

"Would you like to go outside?" he asked.

"Yes" replied thankfully, "That would be great"

Krillen smiled at the beautiful goddess in front of him and held out his hand, which to his surprise, she accepted and together they made their way across the room and outside to the huge balcony.

18 walked right up to the edge and leaned on the thick concrete banister, Krillen came up beside her and did the same.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" 18 commented after a while. She was referring to the dark night sky, that was brightly lit with many thousand of sparkling silver stars.

"Yeah" replied Krillen "Almost as beautiful as you"

"What?!" exclaimed 18 as she took as step backwards. _'Oh god, did I really say that out loud. Stupid stupid stupid!' _Krillen thought to himself. "I'm sorry" he apologised.

"It's ok," said 18 as she moved back to her original position "I just don't know why you would say a thing like that. That's all"

Krillen double blinked and smiled her, "Because it's the truth" he stated like it was obvious. A cold shiver ran down 18's spine and she shuddered, it was freezing outside. Krillen instantly jumped to action "Here you go" he said and he took off his tux jacket and wrapped it around 18's shoulders.

"Thanks" she said

"Krillen," called a male voice "Is that you?"

Krillen spun around and smiled widely "Kakkarot!" he exclaimed, "Long time no see". The two men shared a brief hug before engaging in a rather in depth conversation. 18 sighed, once again she had been forgotten and replaced with someone better, or so she though.

"Hey Kakkarot, I want to introduce you to someone". Krillen took hold of 18's hand and smiled at her, "This is my best friend 18"

"Hi" Greeted Kakkarot and he took hold of 18's other hand and lightly kissed at back of it. "It's great to meet you, Krillen told me you were beautiful, but not this beautiful"

18's eyes grew wide, she wasn't used to all these compliments. "Well, thanks I guess". Kakkarot appeared confused "18's a bit shy" Krillen informed him.

***

Chi-chi and Bulma walked into the girl's bathroom and Chi-chi locked the door behind them, preventing anyone from getting in or out.

"Now B, You are going to tell me exactly what spooked you so much" Chi-chi informed her best friend as she pulled a lipstick out of her bag.

"I'm fine Chi" said Bulma trying her best to sound like her usual perky self, but failing miserable.

Chi-chi looked at Bulma in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "I'll ask again. What happened up there?"

"Nothing happened up there" Bulma replied. There was some truth to her statement, nothing happened, they just talked, but she knew something was going to happen.

"Well at least tell me who you were talking to" said Chi-chi as she carefully drew the lipstick across her lips.

"Yumcha" was Bulma's short reply.

Chi-chi dropped the lipstick to the ground and quickly turned to face her friend "What?!" she cried in shock, "Isn't he in prison?"

Bulma shook her head, "I doubt he was legitimately released" she said

"You're not alone" agreed Chi-chi, "I wonder what he's up to?" she mused

"So do I Chi....So do I"

Chi-chi was quiet for a few minutes think about what she had just learned, how was it possible for Yumcha to break out of prison, he had to have had an accomplice – who would be sick enough to help that bastard out of prison?

"We have to tell someone B, my guess is he's gonna try and rob Kakkarot's house. I mean think about it, there must be million of dollars worth of stuff in this house..." Chi-chi trailed off.

"You're probably right. Let's go find Kakkarot"

The two girls stepped out the bathroom and pushed pass the queue of angry women and they headed out to the party. "Right B-Chan, you look in here for him, and I'll look outside ok"

"Agreed" said Bulma and they split up.

***

Chi-chi stepped out into the cool night air – well more like freezing night air and inhaled deeply. The balcony wasn't over crowed. But it certainly wasn't lacking in activity. Yet Chi-chi instantly managed to pick Kakkarot out thanks to his boisterous laugh. Wrapping her arms around herself for a little extra warmth, she headed over to him.

"Kakkarot!". 18's eyes snapped up, she knew that voice, it was the voice that haunted her day and night, and not the voice she wanted to hear right now. She quickly thought about running, but that was more likely to catch Chi-chi's attention, so she decided her best bet was just to stand with her back to her and try to go un-noticed.

"Oh hey Chi, I was just talking with Krillen". Chi-chi shot her younger brother a glare that could have killed, but he'd become immune to those. "I can see that" she said.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as he threw his arm across her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"I think you have an un-invited guest" Chi-chi informed him.

"What?" asked Kakkarot "Who?"

"Yumcha" stated Chi-chi. Both Krillen and Kakkarot's eyes bulged "What?" the both asked at the same time. Chi-chi nodded her head in the affirmative, "That's who Bulma run into before".

"That's terrible" said Kakkarot

"Aren't you going to tell your parents so they can do something about it?" asked Chi-chi when after a few minutes Kakkarot didn't move, he only resumed his conversation with Krillen. Who was more than happy at getting more attention than Chi-chi was.

"Huh?" asked Kakkarot, "Oh I'm sure they know already". Chi-chi doubled blinked then scowled deeply, why wasn't he doing as she had suggested.

"Isn't it great that Krillen came tonight Chi? You know, this is the first of our balls he's come to?"

Chi-chi snorted, "I'm surprised he showed up at all being the pathetic dateless loser that he is" she said coldly.

18, who had gone un-noticed the entire time, suddenly had an over whelming urge to spin around and blast Chi-chi to the next dimension before she even realised what happened, she smirked at the thought of finishing her off once and for all. She had not right to speak about Krillen – her own brother like that.

He was not pathetic.

"Uh Chi, Krillen's not here by himself, he has a date" said Kakkarot, he had no idea what he had just done. Krillen eyes grew wide and he suddenly felt very nervous _'No no no no no. Kakkarot, you are such an idiot sometime!'_ he thought to himself.

"Does he really?" Chi-chi asked as she turned her attention to her younger brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah" replied Kakkarot

"And just where is this mystery woman?" she asked.

"Right there" said Kakkarot as he pointed a finger at 18. Who was muttering some choice profanities to Kakkarot under her breath.

Chi-chi blinked who was that? She could only see that back of the woman, but she thought she recognised her, well whoever she was she sure did look pretty.

"Her name's 18" Kakkarot informed her.

"What?!" Chi-chi exploded, fire erupted in her eyes and she her power level went through the roof. 18 turned around to face Chi-chi then, a look of absolute horror in her eyes. She was scared. For a brief moment her eyes met Krillens and he noticed that there was something there that hadn't been there before. She needed his help.

"Chi-chi leave her alone!" Demanded Krillen, his voice taking on a certain authority he had never had before

"Like hell I'll leave her alone!" she retorted, her voice more fierce than ever. She stalked over to 18 and stoped mere centimetres in front of her.

"Chi-chi" warned Krillen. He never got to say anything more, because before either he or Kakkarot knew what had happened, Chi-chi had grabbed hold of 18 and thrown her half way across the balcony, landing with a thud in the middle of a crowd.

"18!" cried Krillen. She slowly climbed to her feet and shook off the dizziness, she knew she shouldn't have come. She had let her guard down with Krillen, allowed her self to get to close to him and now he had tricked her into believing she could be normal and fit in with a crowd. Well how wrong he was.

"18, I'm so sorry, I never should have made you come" said Krillen as he came running over to her.

"Keep away from me Krillen" she snapped and she turned to leave, but Chi-chi would have none of it.

"Oh no you don't" she cried and she threw a energy ball at 18, not caring whether she killed her or not. The blast connected straight with 18's bare back. She let out a loud yelp and fell to her knees. Chi-chi laughed and casually strolled over there, only to haul 18 up by her golden locks. "Don't you think I'm done with you yet 18"

"Don't you think I'm going to let you lay another finger on her" Krillen shouted, blind fury invading his entire being.

"What are you going to do to stop me Krillen?" she retorted, "she's my slave and I will do as I please with her"

18 felt tears welling up in here eyes, but she would not let them slip down her face, not in front of all these people and Krillen, and especially not in front of Chi-chi. Her dress was ruined, torn and burned, one of her shoes had a cracked heel, she could feel blood trickling down the back of her neck and her back had been badly burned by Chi-chi's blast.

While Chi-chi and Krillen were arguing, 18 took a step backwards, and another and another, until she bumped into the banister, and without giving it a second though, she jumped off the side, and blasted off into the distance. Where no one could hurt her anymore.

"Ah guys" Kakkarot interrupted the fighting siblings.

"What?" they both asked

"She's gone"

***

She couldn't see where she was going – the tears in her eyes were blurring her vision, but she didn't care, if she smashed into a building and fell to her death, she couldn't care less.

It wasn't like anyone would miss her.

After a few more minutes 18 was finding hard to stay in the air. She landed on her feet but quickly fell to her knees. She was in a very run down and old part of town. She could hear sirens in the distance and gunshots were sounding not to far way. 18 looked around and quickly realised she had no idea where she was, not that it mattered. She had no idea how far she had fled in terror or how she would ever manage to survive here.

Slowly but surly she pulled her self to her feet and began to make her way down the street. She walked past all kinds of shops, selling all kinds of things, though most of these retailers seemed only to porn or other kinds of adult things. She quickly came to the conclusion that this was not a nice place to be.

Just her luck.

She could her footsteps behind her, there was more than one set of feet. 18 quickened her pace and took a quickly glance behind her. She saw 4 men, who all looked rather disturbing.

"Hey!" one of them called out "You". There was no one else around, they were obviously talking to her. Her head was throbbing and her back felt like it was on fire, she knew that her head was bleeding and she had sprained her ankle.

18 stopped, not because the guys had called to her, but because she felt like she was about to vomit. "Krillen," she whimpered "17"

"My my my, aren't you just the cutest little thing" one of the men commented as they surrounded her.

"Get lost" 18 sighed as she rubbed her head "I'm not in the mood". The big guy in front of her cracked his knuckles and 18 cringed. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was that. 

She tried to push through the men but they were huge. Shaking her head she looked the biggest guy directly in the eye "Leave me alone. Trust me, I'm not like most of the women around here. I will kick your asses if need be" she warned, and it was true. Even in her weakened state, she was at least twice as strong as the strongest of there 4.

The all burst out into a fit of laughter "Yeah right" the biggest one sniggered "You, take on and beat all of us?"

"That's what I said" replied 18, and without warning, she thrust her fist into his stomach – hard! He stumbled back a few steps before landing on his rear end with a thud. The 3 remaining men promptly shut up and back off, not wanting to end up in the same embarrassing situation as their friend

18 tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and walked over to the one on the ground "See, I told you" she said and she walked off, tears trickling down her face as she did.

She did not like it here.

***

"18.... 18 where are you?" Krillen yelled as he rocketed through the dark night sky. He was freezing, he could only imagine how cold 18 must be. "18!" he called again. He was at a real disadvantage, not being able to sense her Ki made her almost impossible to find, but he had a feeling her was on the right track.

He landed on the ground and quickly began to run. His feet pounded the concrete and his heart beat hard in his chest.

He was scared.

If 18 really was around here, she was in trouble, this was an extremely dangerous part of town that was usually avoided at all costs, and in her condition, Krillen didn't even want to begin to fathom what might happen to her.

"Where are you 18" he called out _'Please be ok'_

***

She couldn't stand up anymore, her head was spinning and her body was aching. She fell to the cold concrete where she was. _'Please find me Krillen, please'_

"18!" Her eyes snapped open again. That voice, she could hear someone calling her off in the distance. She couldn't loose this opportunity, she had to call back "Krillen" It wasn't very loud, but she prayed he heard her. Shutting her eyes she rested her head on the cool concrete and waited. Waited for what she wasn't sure - to be rescued, death. She had no idea what would happen next

Krillen stopped dead in his track, he heard her! But from what direction? "I'm coming 18" he said to himself and he headed off down the street at full pace. A few minutes later her found her. "18" he cried as she dropped to his knees beside her. She groaned as he helped her sit up "Are you ok?" his concerned voice filled her ears.

"What do you think?" she whispered.

"I'm gonna make sure you're ok. My sister will pay, I swear it". 18 didn't reply, Krillen looked down at her, she'd passed out. A worried look settled on his face and he carefully scooped her up, being careful of her burnt back. Then he quickly blast off back towards the palace.

He was going to save her

***

A/N; Well what did you think? I'd love to hear from you in a review. Next chapter shouldn't be to far off ok. Remember to review! ~Deadly Beauty 


	19. Sweet Revenge

Disclaimer; I loathe disclaimers.....I don't own DBZ OK

A/N; Was this not the quickest update in the history of this fic or what? As you can probably tell I've been board stiff latly so I've been writing to pass the time. Well I hope you enjoy this chapter, school is starting soon so I don't know how much free time I'm going to have, but I'll be trying my best. I seem to write best when I'm supposed to be doing something else anyway. ~D.B

****

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 18

Groggily she opened her eyes and looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. She was confused and disoriented. Sitting up, she clutched the covers close to her for extra warmth. Blinking a few times, memories of the night before began to float back into her mind and she shuddered. Not all of them were good.

Rolling onto her side and burying half of her face in the pillow, she opened one of her eyes and took another good look around.

"Chi," she whispered "you awake?"

There was a loud yawn from the next bed and two long white arms stretched up high, "Yeah" mumbled Chi-chi and she rested her arms on her chest.

Bulma sat up so she could see Chi-chi better before she spoke again, "Sleep well?"

A small, sleepy smile spread across Chi-chi's face as she sat up, she nodded her head and rubbed at her eyes "I'm hungry" she said.

Bulma had to laugh "Let's go get something to eat then" she said. 

"Ok" agreed Chi-chi and she climbed out the nice warm bed. She was glad she had though ahead and brought a pair of pyjamas over last time she was here. Bulma on the other hand, hadn't been so organised, and all Kakkarot had been able to offer her to sleep in was a huge blue tee shirt that hung to about her knees.

The two girls quickly fixed their hair, before they headed out in search of the kitchen. After about 10 minutes they still weren't successful.

"All right Chi, you got us lost, way to go" said Bulma, her voice was just oozing with sarcasm.

"It's ok, B. I'll just find Kakkarot, and he'll help us" said Chi-chi as she began to search for Kakkarot's bedroom

***

Vegeta pulled the pillow over his head and squeezed his eyes shut tight. Why had he agreed to this stupid sleeping arrangement?

He hadn't gotten one once of sleep all night thanks to Kakkarot and his loud sleeping habits.

Sitting up, he looked around the dark room, he couldn't see the floor due to the layer of crap covering it. Everything was in a total state of disarray, his eyes quickly swept over the room and came to rest on the soft green glow of the alarm clock, another of the contributing facts to his sleepless nigh. It read 10.19.

"Dammit" he muttered to himself as he fell back against the pillow.

Only to be interrupted seconds later by a loud banging at the door "Kakkarot!" called a feminine voice that he instantly recognised as his sisters. She didn't wait for a reply, she just pushed the door open and waltzed right in.

"Morning Veg-head" she called a sing song voice that was far too peppy for the stupid hour.

"Shut up" he groaned and rolled onto his stomach.

Chi-chi laughed as she pulled open the curtains, filling the room with early morning sunlight. "Wake up sleepy heads" 

Bulma took a step into the room and leaned against the wall. "Morning Vegeta" she said through a deep yawn.

"Morning" came his muffled reply from deep in his pillow.

"Kakkarot, wake up" said Chi-chi as she reached down and pulled the covers off him. He curled up into a little ball and scrunched up his face "10 more minutes Chi" and said, though he was still mostly asleep.

Chi-chi fell to her knees and rested her elbows on the bed. "Kakkarot" she said sweetly "if you don't get up soon I'm gonna have to force you up"

The next thing she knew, Chi-chi was on her back and Kakkarot was gazing down at her, wide-awake and laughing like a maniac. Bulma snorted and then burst out laughing and even Vegeta had a slight chuckle.

"Kakkarot!" she shrieked playfully as she futilely pounded on his chest, "That wasn't funny"

"Sure it was Chi" he replied as he leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

***

The King sat on his throne, his facial expression showing a mix of rage and bewilderment, but mostly rage. He had been yelling at them for close to half an hour now and his throat was beginning to hurt. He just couldn't believe that his own son would break so many rules and now here he was claiming that he didn't care and that he would gladly do it again.

Krillen was standing his ground, he'd put up with too much crap from his family for long enough, and there was no way he was going to let his father punish 18 when she had done nothing wrong.

"Ah 18, it's been a while since we've spoken hasn't it. You know, there isn't another girl in the whole harem that possesses the ability you did. Sometimes I wonder why I released you from there at all. Especially if this is how you repay me". 18 glared at him, it was a look that could have killed, she was in no mood for him to pick on her.

"Leave 18 out of this" warned Krillen.

A low evil chuckle escaped the Kings lips "I don't think so son. You see, the way I see it, she has done even more wrong than you. She has broken almost every rule the slaves are to abide by," He turned his gaze from Krillen to 18 "You should be ashamed" he said.

18 looked up from the floor and took a step forward "Ashamed? Of what, having a friend? Having someone look after me and make me feel normal? That's nothing to be ashamed of" she said trying to sound like she was brave, when really all she wanted to do was go and hide in her brothers arms.

The King shook his head "Pathetic" he said, then an evil smile settled on his lips. "You both need to be punished for your wrong doings. Krillen, when the time comes, you will be sent to Namek, to take part in the war against Frieza, whether you like it or not. And as for you 18, I'm sentencing you to 12 months in the dungeons, after which you will return to your usual duties"

Both Krillen and 18's eyes grew wide. The dungeons! Both of them knew she wouldn't survive a week down there, not when she was in desperate need of medical attention already. Last night had really taken its toll on her, she was not in a good way.

"Nappa" spoke the King.

"Yes sir?" asked Nappa, who had been standing beside the Kings throne the entire time.

"Show miss 18 to the dungeons would you?"

"Of course sir" he replied, bowing deeply. The he strode over to 18 and roughly grabbed onto her upper arm, forcing her to go where he went.

"18!" cried Krillen as he helplessly watched her get taken away. There was nothing he could do, as soon as he even moved a foot to try and save her from the painful hands of Nappa, his father would have broken his leg or something, preventing him from saving her later on. 

***

"Get in there" snarled Nappa as he practically threw 18 into the small dark cell and slammed the metal door shut hard and locked it.

"Let me out!" screamed 18 as she threw herself against the bars. Nappa just laughed at her "I don't think so" he said, enjoying every minute of her torture.

"Let me out", 18 was quickly getting enraged. She put her hands on the cold bars and shook them as hard as she could, but it was no use, they were to strong. Nappa watched her for a few more minutes until it wasn't interesting anymore, then he simply walked off. Leaving her there to die.

***

Krillen pushed open the big wooden doors to the slave quarters only to be slammed up against the wall, his feet dangling several feet off the ground. A pair of icy blue eyes staring into his own dark ones.

"Where is my sister?" hissed 17, his voice was deadly, it sent a shiver down Krillen spine.

Krillen broke free of 17's relatively weak grip and stood on the ground "Your sister," said Krillen "She's in trouble"

"Trouble? What do you mean trouble?" asked 17.

"She's in the dungeons. But don't worry, I'm going to get her out of there" Krillen spoke quickly so he could get it all out before 17 exploded.

"What?! What the hell happened?"

"It's ok," said Krillen "If you want I'll take you to her, but it can only be quick". 17 took a few deep breaths and nodded. He had been close to going insane with worry when 18 hadn't come home last night, and she had been gone most of the morning as well. He had no idea what had happened to her, he'd looked everywhere, but it had been no use, it was like she had just vanished.

Just as Krillen and 17 were about to leave, the door opened and Tarie popped her head in. Only to be pushed back outside by 17. "Come on," he said "He's taking us to 18".

Tarie took hold of 17's hand and squeezed it tightly, she didn't like it down here, it was very very dark and very cold. There were no windows at all down here, and only a few candles on the walls lit the halls.

"18" called Krillen quietly, if anyone knew they were down here they would also be spending time down here. "18"

"Krillen" came a faint voice a few minutes later, it was so quite the trio could barely hear it. Krillen created a small Ki ball in his hand, the light it generated was bright enough for them to see the way to 18.

"18, I'm so sorry" said Krillen as he dropped to his knees, put his free hand through the bars and took hold of 18's cold hand in his.

"18 what happened? I was so worried" said 17. He crouched down to the ground so he could be at the same level as his sister.

"It's a long story" said 18, her teeth were chattering and her entire body was covered in goosebumps. She was so cold

"I'm gonna get you out of here 18, don't worry" promised Krillen. 18 squeezed his hand hard "What if you can't get me out Krillen, than what?"

"I'll get you out. I'll give my life if I have to".

***

Chi-chi and Bulma lay sprawled out on Bulma's bed, they had music playing way to loud, yet they still managed to be able to hear each other.

"So B-Chan tell me, what exactly did Mr-you-know-who say?" Bulma's face paled, she hadn't told Chi-chi that she had run into him again while Chi-chi had been 'arguing' with 18. And that he had been a lot scarier second time around.

"Nothing much" she replied, hoping her lie would convince Chi-chi. Chi-chi sat up, an unimpressed look graced her tired face. "B-Chan, you expect me to believe _that_?" she said with a lot of emphasis on the last word "Spill"

Bulma rolled onto her stomach and pulled a pillow of her head, "There's nothing to tell" she said, her voice muffled and hard to understand. Chi-chi reached over and pulled the pillow from Bulmas hands, then promptly whacked her over the head with it. "What was that for?" asked Bulma as she rubbed her head.

"Are you gonna tell me or not?" asked Chi-chi as she got ready to smack Bulma again.

"Fine!" shouted Bulma in defeat. Chi-chi smirked victoriously and put the pillow behind her head.

"Ok it goes like this" said Bulma as she began the long and confusing story of her history with the notorious Yumcha.

".....And then he told me that he'd get his revenge on me when I least expected it"

"Wow," said Chi-chi, seemingly upset that the very interesting tale was over "That's pretty heavy stuff"

Bulma wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and nodded her head "I know" she said.

Bulma was about to say something when there was a knock at the door and Mrs.Briefs popped her head into the room. "Chi-chi dear, your brother is here for you," she said.

"Ok" said Chi-chi as she stood up "I wonder what he wants?" Bulma only shrugged.

"Oh well, I see ya later ok" said Chi-chi, and she headed outside.

***

Vegeta leaned against the wall while he waited for his sister. The King had asked him to fetch her and he had assumed this was where she would be.

"Hi Vegeta" she said as she shut the door to the Briefs apartment "What can I do for you?"

"Father wishes to speak with you" he replied, very un-enthusiastically.

"Daddy? I wonder why he wants me," she said as she and Vegeta headed off towards the wing of the palace where King Vegeta conducted all of his business.

"Good afternoon daddy" called Chi-chi as she bounced into the room.

"Ah Chi-chi dear, you're awfully happy today. May I ask why?"

"Kakkarot"

"That's great, I'm glad he's making you happy" said the King with a smile.

Chi-chi cocked her head to the side and gave her father an inquisitive smile, "Daddy, why did you want me?" she asked

The King rested his head in his hand and grinned "I have some news," he said "to do with the events of last night"

"Yes... go on" urged Chi-chi curiously, egger to find out what her father had to say

"Well, I have spoken to both your brother and miss 18, and I have punished them as I saw fit, I just thought you might like to know"

Chi-chi's grin faded, she was hoping to punish that bitch herself, no one messed with her – the princess and got away with it!

"Ah daddy, just what did you do with 18?"

"I put her in the dungeons for 12 months" he said with a smirk.

Chi-chi double blinked "What?" she asked, but she kept on talking before her father could reply. "I don't think that's really necessary, I am fully capable of punishing her myself, and in all honesty, that's what I would prefer" she said, her tail swinging lazily behind her as she did so.

The King let out a long confused sigh, then he looked down at his daughter and shook his head "Well if that's how you feel, I'll have her released this afternoon"

"Great" said Chi-chi as she rubbed her hands together. She was going to make 18's pathetic excuse for a life even more terrible than it all ready was, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

***

Krillen was in the G.R working up a sweat, if he was going to Namek, he was damn well going to give Frieza a run for his money. Last time Frieza had been on the planet, almost 8 months ago, he hadn't been nearly as strong as he was now. Back then he'd only been training in about 220 times normal gravity, and today, he was having a session with the gravity increased 335 times.

It was hard work, and his entire body felt like it was about to collapses, but it would be well worth it if he could even slightly assist in putting an end to Frieza.

'Omph' Krillen slammed into the hard cold wall as one of the training drones crashed into him and sent him reeling. He slid down the wall and landed with a thud on the ground. Reaching up to the control panel, his hit the big red off switch. Terminating his session.

His mind just wasn't focused today – at least not on training anyway, and even he knew better than to fight when you weren't fully concentrating.

Picking up his towel and wiping his brow he sighed "18, what have you done to me?" he asked himself

***

"Here take this" Tarie whispered as she stuffed a piece of bread through the bars of 18's cell. 18 thankfully took the bread and stuffed it all in her mouth in about 2 bites. Swallowing it, she looked up at Tarie with sad eyes, "Help me" she whimpered. Tarie stuck her hands threw the bars and took hold of 18's cold, clammy hands.

"We need to get you out of here" she said sympathetically. 18 could only nod.

She was in absolute agony, her back felt like it was on fire, and she could feel it blistering, her head was constantly throbbing and she was dizzy, thanks to the large gash across the back of her skull. Her arms, legs, knees and elbows were all scraped and in need of antiseptic, she had a sprained ankle that hurt to walk on, and she had a large purple bruise on her to small stomach. All of her ribs were visible from lack of food, and to top it all off, she had managed to catch the worst cold in history.

"Don't worry 18. You're brother, Nison and me are going to figure out a way to get you out of here. And I'm sure that prince of yours will help out. He's got the biggest crush on you, it's sweet really"

18 managed a small smile for her friend.

All of a sudden the silence was interrupted by the sound of the heavy door opening. Fear became present in both of the girls eye, they knew what there fate would be if Tarie was caught down here.

"Hide" whispered 18 her voice full of quiet panic.

Tarie quickly stood up and quickly crept off around the corner to hide from who ever was coming.

She followed behind Nappa, not really sure of where he was taking her, he heels clicked on the old cobble stone floors as she moved gracefully along. Tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear and wrapping her arms around her self she took a good look around, not that there was that much to look at, it was cold, boring and smelly down here.

"Here we are Miss Chi-chi, would you like me to stay here, or just leave you the key?" asked Nappa.

"It's fine thank-you Nappa, you can leave"

Nappa smiled, handed Chi-chi the big brass key and left.

Chi-chi stood there silently until she was sure Nappa had left and they were alone, then she crouched down so she was lower to the ground, and almost at eye level with 18.

"Well well well, look what's happened to you. I can't say you don't deserve it though" she said, her oozing with hate.

"What do you want with me? Can't you just leave me to die it peace?"

Chi-chi burst out laughing "Leave you? I don't think so. I have you at my mercy, and I plan to make your life miserable 18.... miserable. Your pathetic excuse for a life is worth nothing to me, and don't think I don't see the stupid, sad, friendship you have built with my lame excuse for a brother. Well don't you worry, I'll be putting an end to that as well" she hissed as she unlocked the cell door, and hauled 18 to her feet.

18 didn't make a sound, she wasn't going to let Chi-chi see how scared she was. She threw a quick distressed glance into the shadows where she knew Tarie was hiding, before Chi-chi shoved her off down the hall with much for force than necessary.

Tarie stood quiet for a long moment before she was game enough to come out of hiding, and even then she only dared to tip toe "Oh god," she muttered, her voice was muffled by her hand covering her mouth. "What's gonna happen to 18?"

***

Before everyone had realised, 3 days had passed. Chi-chi sat up in bed when her alarm went off and stretched her hands up to the ceiling. Throwing off the warm covers she climbed out of bed, padded across the floor to the window and pulled open the light pink curtains. Early morning sunlight filled the room and Chi-chi squinted against it. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she found her slippers and slipped them on. Letting out a loud yawn, she pulled her hair back into a very messy ponytail, then she left for the dining hall to join the rest of her family for breakfast. 

"Good Morning" She said threw a loud yawn. She was the last of the family to arrive at the table, so she quickly made her way to her seat and sat down, breakfast was served soon after.

The first half of the meal was silent, no one spoke, it wasn't until the meal was almost over that the King spoke up "Children, I'm sure you all know we have someone special arriving on the planet today" he said. Chi-chi looked up, "Who?" she asked.

The King rolled his eyes "Queen Kahlia is arriving today, she is a very important and powerful woman and I hope all 3 of you will treat her with the respect she deserves" he replied, looking each of this 3 children in the eyes as he spoke.

"What time is she arriving?" asked Vegeta through a mouth full of food. The King turned away from his son, "Swallow your food first," He said "She will be arriving around 3. That should be plenty of time to get ready" this time he spoke more to Chi-chi than his boys.

Krillen pushed his chair back and stood up, "I'll see you later father" he said, then he gave his sister a dirty look and left the room. He still wasn't talking to her, he hadn't forgiven her for the incident at Kakkarot's party, and he didn't plan to anytime soon.

***

"Well I think it's the perfect plan, and if you are going to wimp out at the last second then fine. I'll do it myself" came a voice from somewhere in the sea of people wandering about the middle class shopping strip.

"It's not that it's not a good plan, it's just, I really don't think it's the right thing to do". The other man was quiet for a few second before he broke into a fit of laughter that was so loud, a number of the passers by stoped to see what was so funny "Since when has doing the right thing ever concerned you man. You are a convicted criminal, I thought you'd be over the whole right and wrong thing by now"

The taller man shrugged his shoulders and sighed "I know, but I guess I'm just not feeling 100 per cent today. I mean, she almost got us busted last week at the ball"

"And we need our revenge on her!" the first one said, his voice rising considerably as he pounded his fists on the table "Don't you want your revenge?"

"No Yumcha, you want your revenge. I don't even know what this girl looks like"

"She's beautiful" sighed Yumcha as he stared off into the distance but he quickly returned to his usual self "but I don't care, she's gonna get whats coming to her, Tien, whether you're gonna help me or not"

Tien sighed and sunk back further into his chair, taking a sip of his coffee he looked at Yumcha, his best friend and partner in crime and smirked. "Fine, I'll do it, there's no point going soft now"

"That's the spirit!" cried Yumcha happily as he slapped Tien playfully on the back.

"Well what time are we going to make our move?" asked Tien

"My source inside the palace tells me there is a big event happening at 3, so that will be the easiest time to get in" said Yumcha as he cracked all the knuckles in his fingers, Tien cringed "Don't do that!"

***

Krillen pulled on a pair of black slacks and a bark blue shirt. He pulled a black tie out of his closet, but then he decided against wearing it. Wandering over to the mirror, he looked over his reflection for a minute or two. Once he was happy with his appearance, and convinced his hair was neat enough, he set about tidying his room. 

But he could concentrate.

He knew 18 was in the next room, and he knew something bad was happening to her but there was nothing he could do about it. If he walked in there now Chi-chi would kill him, and then who would be left to help 18?

He could hear yelling, but he couldn't work out what Chi-chi was saying, it sounded angry though. Then all of a sudden, there was a very loud crash against the wall Krillens bed was on, he jumped from the shock of it. Then it was quiet, he heard nothing.

***

"And if you ever cross me like that again, I _will_ kill you" Chi-chi hissed in 18's ear. 18 lay on the ground curled up in a tiny ball, in an enormous amount of pain.

"Now, I want all of that done when I return" said Chi-chi and she tossed 18 a sheet of paper and left the room. Forcing herself into a sitting position, she rested her burnt back against the wall and attempted to read the list, but her vision was blurred by pain.

"Fuck" she mumbled to herself, she had no choice but to stand up and get to work, she decided to start with an easy job, make the bed, then work her way up to the hard ones. This was going to take hours

"18," Krillen said quietly as he poked his head in the door, "Are you alright?"

18 shook her head, tears of pain welling up in her yes as she did so, it hurt her entire body to even more.

"Ok, it's alright. Stay here and I'll go find you some help" he said and he shut the door and ran off down the hall.

A few minutes later, he pushed open the big, heavy door to the slave quarters. He sighed and cast his eyes to the floor, every time he walked in here, he was instantly filled with the horrible feeling of knowing that it was because of his family that these people lived like this.

Walking into the next room, he found who he was looking for. 

"Nison" he said as he approached the thin half Namekian boy. Nison looked up and smiled a bog friendly smile. IN the beginning he hadn't really like Krillen that much, because he too, cared for 18. But know he realised, Krillen could give 18 more than he ever could, and all he wanted was for her to be happy. "What can I do for you?"

"It's 18, she needs to be healed"

A looked of sorrow washed over Nison's slightly green features and he refused to look Krillen in the eye.   
"Nison" Krillen pleaded with the slightly older man

"I can't" he whispered hoarsely after a few more minutes of silence.

"You can't? What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean exactly that! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I haven't been able to heal properly for days now. All I can do, is slightly heal"

"Well that's good enough for me, come on let's go.

On the way back upstairs they passed 17 and Tarie, who both seemed very red in the face and out of breath. They had decided to follow the other two, 17 needed to be by his sister's side if she was in trouble.

Krillen, 17 and Tarie all stood back while Nison tried to work his magic, but nothing much happened, a few blisters on 18's back disappeared but that was about the extent of it. Looking up at the clock on the wall Krillen yelped- it was five to 3, he had to go!

"I have to go, when 18 wakes up, tell her I'll be down tonight ok" he said and he ran out the room.

Tarie scratched her head and sighed, "Well I'll stay here and finish her jobs, you to take her back downstairs ok" she said. The other two agreed and as carefully as possible picked up 18, who was semi-unconscious and helped her out the room.

*** 

Bulma came up from under the water and took in a big gulp of air, it had been a long time since Bulma had been swimming and she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed it. The water was warm, and she was alone, the solitude of it all was fantastic, letting the water lift her up, she floated on her back, gazing up at the afternoon sky, the fluffy white clods floating over head only served to relax her even more.

Letting out a long sigh, she closed her eyes and smiled. Things were finally starting to go her way, things with Vegeta just kept getting better and better, she had only seen him a few times since the ball, but those times had been great. They had laughed, smiled, talked and joked with each other and she had begun to get underneath his cold exterior to the real Vegeta inside.

Turning over, she swum to the edge of pool and hauled her self up onto the side, she stood up, walked over to the diving board and jumped back in again, hardly making a splash.

When she surfaced, she was sure she saw something in the corner of her eye, but when she turned to check it out, she was alone. Shrugging her shoulders, she begun to swim another lap.

Yumcha stood at the far end of the pool, a sly smirk plastered on his face, it wouldn't be long now until Bulma poked that pretty little head of hers out the water, then he would make his move.

"That bikini doesn't leave a lot to the imagination"

Bulma jumped, she knew that voice! Spinning around, a look of absolute terror washed over her calm features. 

"Yumcha?!," she cried "How the hell did you get in here"

"Quite simple really" he replied, his voice to calm for the situation. 

Bulma climbed out the pool, walked it's length and stopped about a meter from Yumcha, and she too, suddenly felt like her little black bikini was revealing to much "What do you want?" she asked, trying to sound like his presence didn't faze her.

Yumcha chuckled "What I want Bulma," he reached out and roughly grabbed her arm "Is you"

"Get of me!" cried Bulma, but he only tightened his grip on her

"I don't think so, I walked away fro you once before, and I won't make that mistake again. Today it's your turn to find out what it's like to be hurt by the one you love"

***

Vegeta fidgeted anxiously with the sleeve of his black shirt, he didn't want to be here. He had no desire to be nice and hospitable with Queen Kahlia, his father had had a thing for her for years now, ever since he signed her planet into the allegiance a few years back.

"Now children, I want you to treat Queen Kahlia with the upmost respect, she is a very important women, and remember, first impressions last" said the King.

Chi-chi looked around the large docking bay, where interplanetary visitors to the palace landed their ships. Fussing with her hair, Chi-chi sighed. She had spent a good deal of time trying to pick out a nice 'acceptable' outfit, and she had eventually decided on a black skirt that fell to her knees, a red shirt and a black jacket, topped of with a nice pair of black shoes. She liked Queen Kahlia, although she didn't know her all that well. She had been on the planet once a few years back to sign allegiance papers and the King and his children had dined with her a few times then. From what she remembered the Queen was a very beautiful women. Chi-chi hoped she would get to spend some more time with her on this visit.

Krillen tapped his fingers on his chair and stared blankly at the raised platform in front of him. This was no where he wanted to be right now. As soon as the Queen arrived, and he welcomed her to the planet with rest of his family, he was outta here. He had to see 18, he needed to know she was alright. He admitted it, he had fallen head over heals in love with her and he needed to be by her side. Blinking slowly, he shifted his gaze to his sister, oh how he loathed her. One day karma was going to come back on her, and all the bad things she had done in her life would hit her 10 times harder, and when that day arrived, Krillen would be quite content to sit back and laugh at her.

10 minutes passed by in silence, and then another 10, but then a small shiny speck could be seen in the sky.

"She's here" said Chi-chi as she stood up, the 3 men in her family did the same. Not long after they noticed it, the huge ship touched down on the docking platform and the door slid open to form a ramp.

The King stepped forward and watched as Queen Kahlias guards descended the ramp, and then lastly the Queen herself.

She really was beautiful, her skin was a beautiful cram colour much the same as the Sayians, she had long, pale pink hair and the most striking green eyes any of them had ever seen. She was dressed in a beautiful long, sleeveless silk dress that was a few shades darker than her hair and it showed of all her muscles beautifully. Like the Sayians, the people of planter Bindoon were a warrior race, and they were one of the only warrior races in the universe that was run entirely by a female.

"Queen Kahlia," said the King as he held her hand and gently kissed the back of it "It's an absolute pleasure to see you again"

The Queen smiled "Please, call me Kahlia, forget the Queen business" Kahlia stepped past the King and walked over to his 3 children.

"Chi-chi, Vegeta, Krillen. Look at you, you've all grown so big" Krillen was shocked, he hadn't expected her to remember their names.

"Welcome to our planet your highness" said Krillen as he held out his hand for her to shake, she did so.

"Please you heard what I just said to your dad, you know what to call me" all 3 of them nodded. And she laughed.

"Go on, I know you're probably all bored out of your minds, go on, go find something better to do, we'll all catch up at dinner later on" she said with a smile. Relief washed over the faces of Vegeta and Krillen and they both turned and headed back inside the palace, Chi-chi however stayed behind

***

Bulma's checked heaved up and down as she panted. She was scared, and cold. "Yumcha where are you taking me?" she demanded, but all she got in reply was Yumcha's hand covering her mouth. "Shut up bitch," he hissed, "You're only making it worse for yourself by making noise"

Bulma however would have none of it, she bit down hard on Yumcha's hand and the taste of blood filled her mouth and she began to spit it all over the floor. Yumcha yanked his hand away, and Bulma took the opportunity to be heard. She opened her mouth, and let an ear-piercing scream escape her lips.

Yumcha quickly came to his senses and stoped Bulma screaming by pressing his hand to her throat, effectively gagging her. "That was not a smart idea Bulma" he said as he pushed a door open and forced Bulma inside.

The room was pitch black, but Bulma instantly knew where she was, the floor was cold and hard, they were in the foyer of the G.R's. "Why are we here Yumcha?' she asked, her voice echoing off the walls.

"You'll find out soon enough" he said.

Bulma was scared, she was defenceless here, she couldn't see a thing so she had no idea when Yumcha was going to attack, or how many more people he had hiding in the dark. But she was no air headed bimbo, already, her mind was working away, formulating a plan to save her life, she wasn't called the smartest female in the palace, or probably on the planet for nothing.

As she suspected he would, Yumcha took her inside on of the G.R's and shut the door, she gulped loudly. She still couldn't see a thing so she was forced to reply on her other senses. Luckily for her, she spent a lot of time training with Chi-chi and Vegeta, who spent a lot of time training with the elites, so she was no weak fighter, and her senses were highly developed, especially her hearing, it was excellent.

If you think you're going to kill me in here Yumcha, think again. I'm a lot more than just a pretty face you know" she said. Yumcha let go of her wrist and she listened to him walk across the cold floor, she could tell where he was going by the tapping sound his shoes made against the metal. Bulma smirked in the dark, she also had the advantage of silence, she had bare feet, and could tiptoe across the floor almost unnoticed, but she chose not to for the time being.

A shiver ran up her spine and she again noticed how much she was wearing, or how much she was not wearing. Her hair was still wet and dripping down her back, only causing her to shake even more.

She could hear Yumcha conversing with another man, but she couldn't make out the words, then she heard them both laugh and begin to walk towards her. Before she really had time to think about it, she had jumped into the sky and zipped across to the other side of the room, she had spent enough time in here to able to tell exactly where the walls were. Yet another advantage she had over Yumcha.

"Bulma, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day. The day I'm going to exact my revenge on you for all you out me through. Tien hit the lights".

Suddenly the room was filled with bright white light and Bulma was forced to squint her eyes shut, which was a bad idea, because it was just what Yumcha had planned.

He took the opportunity and flew up to Bulma, powering up a Ki ball as he went.

Bulma opened her eyes, and gulped loudly, there about 10 centimetres away from her face was a bright ball of crackling blue energy, "Goodbye Bulma dear" said Yumcha, but Bulma was quicker than that.

Before Yumcha realised what was happening, Bulma had him in a headlock and her own ball of energy dangerously close to his head.

"I don't think so Yam baby," she referred to him with his old pet name "You see, I have a few of my own scores with you that I would like to settle". And with that she filled him over her back and sent him crashing to the ground. She had, however, forgotten about Tien. Who didn't like to watch his partner get her, especially by a girl and in the blink of an eye his joined fists had connected with the back of Bulma's head and sent her plummeting to the ground, where she landed next to Yumcha, with a loud thud. She was up quickly though, much to the surprise of Tien.

"You don't think you can take me down that easily do you?" she asked. Tien only smirked, he didn't answer her.

"What, what's so funny?" she called to him, but she didn't get to wait from behind. Because unbeknown to her, while she had been distracted, Yumcha had gotten up. And he had kicked her clear to the other side of the room where she slammed hard against the wall. And this time, she didn't show signs of getting up in any hurry.

"Bimbo" Yumcha muttered to himself as he held out his arm and aim for her head, he was shooting to kill. The ball of energy was big and bright and there was no way she would be getting up after it. This was the end for Bulma Briefs.

Vegeta walked into the dark foyer of the G.R and flicked the light on, the first thing he noticed was the bright light coming from G.R number 4. And since almost everyone was busy fawning over the Queen, there could have only been a few people training in there. His guess was that it was Bulma.

Maybe she would spar with him, it beat training alone.

Walking up to the door, he noticed she was training in zero gravity. Maybe she just hadn't started her session yet. He also noted the door was unlocked. He shifting his gaze from the panel on the wall, to the little window in the door and his jaw dropped. Not wasting another second, he burst right into the room.

Bulma sat cowering against the wall, being knocked up against it like that had winded her and she was still trying to catch her breath. She knew she was running out of time and fast, Yumcha would release that thing any second now.

"It's revenge time Bulma" Yumcha said, laughing wildly as he did so, and he released his energy ball. But just as he did so, another blast hit him from the other side of the room, causing his own to go off course, and instead of killing Bulma, it just burnt her arm.

Yumcha went flying into the wall headfirst and sank to the floor, and he was not going to be getting up anytime soon. Smirking, Vegeta went after Tien, who unlike Yumcha was ready for him. A short fight broke out, but it only took about 3 minutes for Vegeta to pound Yumcha's buddy into the floor.

Once they were taken care of, he made his way over to Bulma. "Why is that I always seem to be saving you?" Vegeta asked with mock sarcasm.

"Very funny Vegeta" said Bulma while she allowed herself to be picked up by him.

"My legs are fine you know, I can walk" Bulma said, while Vegeta carried her towards the infirmary.

"I know"

He gently put her down on the bed, shook his head at her, then walked out the room to find a nurse.

Bulma looked at the eye chart on the wall and sighed, she'd been spending an awful lot of time here lately, she'd been having a run of bad luck. The sound of the nurse walking into the room snapped Bulma out of her thoughts, she looked up and saw Vegeta walk through the door as well.

"Vegeta, do something with them" she pleaded with out naming names, she didn't want to alarm the nurse. Vegeta nodded his head and turned and silently left the room.

"Ok Miss. Briefs, this may hurt a little, it's antiseptic and it will reduce any chance of infection, then I'll apply some burn cream for you ok" explained the nurse as she rummaged through the supply cupboard.

"Ok" replied Bulma absent-mindedly.

Bulma flinched as the nurse applied the antiseptic, but it didn't hurt as much as she though it would. "I'm going to have to bandage that for you Miss. Briefs. How do you manage to get your self into these situation?" asked the nurse, not really realising she was prying.

"It's Bulma, and it's just a sparring injury" she lied. She wasn't about to scare the crap out of the poor young nurse by telling her that somehow, her crazy murdering, rapist, ex boyfriend and his partner had managed to break into the palace.

The women laughed, "Ah, you have no idea how many of you lot we treat each day for sparring wounds. I don't remember that last time we had an actual illness to treat" she rattled on as she bandaged Bulma's arm from her shoulder to her elbow. "But don't you think if you were sparring you should have been wearing a bit more protective clothing"

Bulma looked down at her attire and blushed, "it was unplanned sparring" she said.

"Ok I'm done, now just stay in here and rest for 20 minutes then you'll be free to leave". Bulma smiled politely at the nurse, but as soon as she had left the room she rolled her eyes and groaned. '20 minutes' she thought to herself.

It didn't take long for her to start thinking, and soon what had just happened began to sink in, she had come within an inch of her life – again. Tears began to well up in the corner of her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. If Vegeta had of come 10 seconds later, she would have been dead right now, she owed him her life.

As if on cue, Vegeta strolled through the door then, a satisfied smirk on his face, but it quickly disappeared once he saw Bulma was crying. "Woman, dry your eyes" he said as he sat down next to her.

"Thank-you Vegeta" said Bulma as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"What the hell for?" asked Vegeta

"You saved my life, I'll never be able to reply you enough" replied Bulma, and she as she may, she just couldn't stop the tears from running down her face.

"Woman..." sighed Vegeta as he rolled his eyes. Then he did something unexpected and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. "It's ok, you're not dead, you're ok. Bulma rested her head on his shoulder and cryed, for a long time. And Vegeta just sat there, holding her, it was the least he could do.

Some time later, Bulma stopped crying, lifting her head, she noticed just how big a wet patch she had made on Vegeta's good black shirt "I'm sorry" she said, her voice barely a whisper, she had exhausted herself.

"It's ok". Vegeta reached up and wiped the remaining tear of Bulma cheeks, but ever after, he left his hand there, gently cradling her face.

Bulma found herself staring into his perfect, dark, sayian eyes and she couldn't tear her gaze away. "Vegeta....." she mumbled.

"Shhhh" Vegeta silence her.

Bulma could hear her heart beating fast in her ears and feel the flush of her cheeks. And with either of them realising it was about to happen, their lips brushed together, only for brief second, but the emotion of it left them both breathless and at a loss for words. It was Vegeta who spoke up first.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"Don't be" Bulma said quickly, trying to let him know she didn't regret it.

"No, you are my sisters best friend. We could never be any more than friends, it's not right" he said and he hoped of the bed and strode out the room.

Bulma watched him go, speechless and confused.

Where did things go from here? 

***

A/N; Well what did you think of my little B/V, I've never done a B/V before and for a first attempt I don't think I did to bad. Well Did you enjoy the chap, tell me in a review. Next chapter will be out very soon and thanks for reading my fic!

~D.B


	20. Perfection

Disclaimer; I own nothing but a laptop, and desktop computer and a bunch of old crap no one will ever use.

A/N; Well I FINALLY got the next chapter up. I am unbelievably sorry that it took so long, but I have been swamped will...um...stuff. Well anyway, I hope you enjoy this and maybe the next one will be out sooner than this.

****

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 19

He stood over the bed, looking down at her peaceful face, she was so beautiful when she slept. Not that she wasn't beautiful when she was awake as well, it was just that certain calmness that graced her delicate features when she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Letting out a long sigh, he crouched down and continued his inspection of her at a closer range. Reaching out, he ran his finger down her cheek, which was streaked with dry tears, and he wasn't sure, but he though he could see a bruise forming.

"What am I going to do about you huh?". He heard the door being pushed open, and familiar voices filled the air, but he chose to ignore them, they'd be in soon enough anyway.

"No, but I mean, seriously, how dumb can one person get?" 17 asked as he strolled into the room, his arm thrown casually over Tarie's shoulder, Nison was also with them and they three of them were laughing like maniacs. 17 stopped when he noticed Krillen and gave him a friendly nod and a smile. "You can wake her if you want, she's been asleep since 3" he said, then turned his attention back to his friends. He didn't have to worry about his sister, he knew she was in good hands. Krillen would do anything for her, of that he was sure.

"Are you sure, that's only 3 hours" argued Krillen.

"I said go for it, once you go she'll only go back to sleep again anyway. It'll be good for her to use her energy now, means she'll sleep better tonight"

Krillen stood up and looked 17 directly in the eyes "She doesn't sleep well?" he asked his voice full of concern.

Tarie shook her head and stared blankly at the wall. "She can't. She has the worst nightmares. If she even manages to get a few hours of sleep it's a blessing" 17 nodded his head in agreement.

Krillen turned back to 18 and knelled beside her again, resting his hand on her forehead he smiled affectionately at her, "I'm going to make it all better for you 18, I promise".

"Well are you going to wake her or not?" asked 17 after a few more minutes. 

"No, I have to join my father for dinner soon. Just tell her I stopped by" he said, and he quietly left the room

***

Chi-chi sat in front of her vanity, carefully applying eyeliner. She had spent hours picking out what to wear to dinner. Normally she would have just worn what ever she was wearing during the course of the day, wether it be her training spandex or her favourite pair of jeans and a top. But tonight her father had asked her and her brothers to dress up nice, as in smart casual, for they were having the Queen dine with them. And she held the Queen in her highest respect.

Standing up and walking over to her full-length mirror, Chi-chi spun around and admired herself. Her full length, white, ruffled skirt hung perfectly, and looked great, and her silky black shirt with 3-quarter sleeves beautifully complimented it. She had tied her hair back into a messy bun, with a few strands left to hang free, and it had a very casual classy look to it. Quickly pulling on her black sandals, she headed out the door and rushed down the busy palace halls towards to dining room for the evening meal.

Krillen could see Chi-chi up ahead of him, walking at an oddly fast pace, why was she in such a hurry for dinner, she was usually the one who strolled in 10 minutes late.

Walking into the dining room, he took his usual seat across from his sister, picked up his glass of water and skulled the entire thing in one go, but one of the women serving quickly rushed to refill it. "Thank-you" said Krillen as he brought the glass to his lips again.

It wasn't long until Vegeta joined them, he obviously hadn't taken note of the Kings whishes of a fresh set of clothes, because he was still in what he had been wearing earlier on, and there was a big, un-explained wet patch drying on his shoulder. "What happened there?" asked Chi-chi motioning with her eyes to his shoulder.

"I'll tell you after".

Suddenly the Kings boisterous laugh could be heard from just outside the door. Instinctively, all 3 of his children bolted into a standing position to greet him. He pushed open the door and allowed Kahlia to enter before him, she took her seat next to Chi-chi and the King took his spot at the head of the table. The meal was served shortly after.

"You all look lovely" commented Kahlia as she poked at her vegetables with one of the many forks layed out before her. She really had no idea what each one was for, so she was just following the rest of the family.

"How was your trip here?" asked Chi-chi.

"Long" replied Kahlia with a sigh, "But it was worth it, Vegeta-sei is just as beautiful as I remember it. I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks" Chi-chi smiled and nodded sympathetically.

"Well if you like, when you have some free time, we could go shopping. We have great shopping here" offered Chi-chi. Kahlia's eyes lit up, oh how she loved to shop, "I'd love to, are you free tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure".

Kahlia turned to the King then, "Is that ok with you, I mean you didn't have anything planned did you?" The King laughed out loud, "No nothing, but we may be having some guest for dinner"

Chi-chi gasped and sat up straight in her chair "That's right! Kakkarot is joining us tomorrow," she said happily "he can come shopping to"

"Kakkarot?" the Queen asked.

"Yeah Kakkarot, my boyfriend"

***

"Bulma honey, have you changed you bandages yet?" Mrs. Briefs called from the kitchen, where she was preparing breakfast.

"Yes mum" Bulma called back as she searched madly through her enormous closet from something to wear. She eventually pulled out a pair of white sweat pants that had blue stripes down the sides and a light blue singlet top. The she quickly brushed her hair and pulled in into a loose ponytail. She could hear her mother calling and her dad for breakfast and she quickly hurried into the kitchen.

"Morning daddy" she said as she bounded into the room and planted a kiss on her cheek, then she walked over to her mum and repeated the process. Taking her seat at the table, she took a big sip of orange juice and dug into her cereal. She certainly did have a Sayian appetite.

"Do you think you'll be able to help me in the lab today?" asked Mr.Briefs as he held his coffee cup to his lips.

Bulma shrugged her shoulder "Sure, why not. I don't have anything better to do". Standing up, she took her dirty bowl over to the sink, and proceeded to wash it under the warm water. Just as she was drying her hands, there was a knock on the door. Mr.Briefs got up to get it, but Bulma beat him to it.

"Sit down daddy, I'll get it" she said.

Pulling open the front door, she was surprised to say the least, "Vegeta.....what are you doing here?" she asked.

Vegeta stood quiet in the doorway for some time before he said anything, "Just checking up on your arm" he finally replied. Bulma felt her heart flutter, did that mean he cared about her? "That's really sweet of you, thanks" she said. There was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke again "Would you like to come in for breakfast?"

Vegeta shook his head, "I've already eaten" he said and he turned to leave.

"Vegeta wait!" called Bulma. He stopped and turned to face her, watching while she stepped outside her apartment and gently closed the door. "Well?" Vegeta asked.

"I guess I just wanted to say thank-you. I don't think you fully understand how much gratitude I feel towards you" she said as she took another step closer to him, so their bodies were almost touching, for the second time in two days. "Don't mention it, I did what anyone would have done" he said, trying to sound modest, and once again he tried to leave. But Bulma stopped him again, by grabbing onto his wrist.

"Vegeta," she leaned forward and gently pecked him on the cheek, "thanks". After that was said, she turned and disappeared back inside her apartment.

***

"Bulma! Have you seen by black shoe?" called a frantic Chi-chi as she rushed around her bedroom in search of the elusive missing shoe.

"Which one?" Bulma asked with a laugh from her spot on Chi-chi's bed, where she was flipping through the latest edition of some trashy tabloid.

Chi-chi stopped and looked at her friend, with a very un-impressed expression on her face. "Very funny. You know exactly which one I am talking about" she replied.

"Yeah, I do" agreed Bulma, "But I don't know where is it". Chi-chi let out a frustrated growl and pulled open her closet doors, where she began her search for another pair of shoes, she didn't have time to hunt down just one. Kakkarot would be here in half an hour and she wasn't even dressed yet. At the moment she was running around her bedroom in a pale pink singlet top, and matching panties, or what she called her pyjamas. 

"Ah Chi, don't you think that before you worry about shoes you should at least pick out a pair of pants". Chi-chi stopped and looked down at her bare legs. Then she pulled open the other half of her closet and took out about a dozen pairs of pants. "Which ones?" she asked

"Um.....those ones" said Bulma pointing to Chi-chi flared black leather pants which tied up, up the sides. Chi-chi put them on then continued on her search for her shoes.

Some time later, there was a knock on the bedroom door, followed by the happy called of a man "Chi!". Chi-chi spun around, a look of shock on her face, looking up at the clock on the wall, she realised he was right on time.

"Can you get that B?" asked Chi-chi as she turned her attention back to the mirror.

"Sure" replied Bulma and she jumped off the bed and opened the door for Kakkarot, "Hi!" she greeted him.

"Hi Bulma," he strolled over to Chi-chi and planted a big kiss on her cheek "Hello".

Chi-chi pulled her hair into a ponytail and stood up, "I'm almost ready" she said as she put on a pair of heeled black boots.

"Well, have fun you guys. You'll have to go again some time so that I can come with you. You know how much I love to shop"

"Yes we do" agreed Chi-chi, "Of course we'll go again, I can't wait for you to meet the Queen, she's so cool, you'll love her. "C'mon Kakkarot, we gotta split" she said as she grabbed Kakkarot's hand and dragged him out the room.

***

"Hey, hey are you awake?" 17 nudged his sister gently, "18!". 18 groaned and rolled away from her brother, "Go away".

"18, you've been asleep for like 16 hours, I think it's time you got up". Slowly, 18 opened her eyes and sat up, and for the first time since the ball, it didn't hurt like hell to move, not that it felt totally pleasant, but it was bearable, and that was something she was grateful for.

"Glad to see you're feeling better" 17 said through a wide smile, she was the most important thing in his life, and to see her on the road to recovery made his heart soar.

"Yeah," she said, "I don't feel so bad today". A loud yawn escaped her lips and she stretched her arms up towards the ceiling, "It's freezing in here!"

"You're telling me" agreed 17, "I feel like I'm about to freeze up". 18 laughed at her brother's comment. "I should probably head up stairs. Chi-chi's gonna kill me for being late"

"I'll come with you, I got rostered onto kitchen duties". 18 burst out laughing, she knew how much her brother despised working in the kitchen. He'd rather do anything than work in there, washing dishes, scrubbing floors, peeling vegetables. He cringed at the thought of it.

"Well, this is my stop" said 18 as they reached the archway that lead into the hall that only the royal family and a few other select people were allowed to enter. It was the family's private living quarters, and totally off limits to most of the people who lived and worked in the palace.

18 walked down the hall, the wooden floorboard were cool against her feet. She reached Chi-chi's room and headed inside, only to get a shock and a half.

Chi-chi wasn't in there. And there was no list of jobs for her to do either.

This was her lucky day.

***

17 walked into the kitchen, grumbling like a sourpuss. He hated working in here. Hated it, hated it, hated it!

But his mood lighted slightly when he saw his best friend down on the floor with a wire scrubbing brush and a bucket of soapy water, "Nison!"

The boy with pale green skin looked up and flashed 17 a big grin, then threw a brush at him. Not so subtlety asking him to help scrub the floor 

Nison stood up and flashed 17 a cocky grin "Well I'm done in here, looks like you're on your own"

"Where you off too?" asked 17 as he picked up another dirty dish and placed it in the warm soapy water.

"I believe I'm 'off to' help you girlfriend fix sinks in the laundry" he said, his voice filled with sarcastic joy.

17 laughed, rolled his eyes and turned his back to his friend "Tell Tarie I said hi"

"Will do" Nison called over his shoulder on his way out the door.

And then 17 was alone, he began to hum to himself, making up the tune as he went along. Smiling, his thoughts drifted from the task at hand to Tarie. He loved her – that was the simple truth. He had loved her for as long as he could remember. They'd grown up together, been friends since he lost his sister at the tender age of 11. He remembered the first horrible night he spent in this place. Crying, scared to death, looking everywhere for his sister, though he wasn't going to find her, Tarie had come to him and the two had instantly hit it off. They had been the best of friends ever since

Yet he always had a feeling of guilt tugging in the back of his mind. He felt guilty that this was all he could give her, when he knew how much more she deserved. There was so much he wanted for her, but most of all he wanted her out of this hell hole, and off this dump of a planet. He wanted her to be free and happy, even if that meant leaving him behind – he was willing to sacrifice everything for her. He would die for her.

***

Nappa was fuming, he just had his ass kicked by a commoner – a commoner! Well maybe not a commoner, he wouldn't drag himself as low as to take on one of the villagers. He had fought against Kakkarot's elder brother – he went by the name of Radditz. It had started out as a simple sparring match between the two men, but it quickly became more that that, since they were both competitive and wanted to show of just what they could do. But unfortunately for him Raddizt had quite a few tricks up his sleeves, he sure was a sneaky little bastard.

Grimacing as he put pressure on his sprained ankle, he hobbled toward the kitchen, hoping to find someone or something there to take out his anger on – and perhaps get something to eat while he was at it.

And he was in luck. There were many breakable objects in the kitchen, as well as a scrawny looking sayian standing at the sink, and obviously there was some food lying around somewhere. Smirking and cracking his knuckles, he took another step into the kitchen, hoping to get the slave boys attention. But 17 didn't even look up, he just picked up another dish and began to scrub.

__

'Stupid brat' Nappa though to himself as he strode over to the fridge and searched for something decent to eat. But there was nothing...absolutely nothing. Could his day get any worse?

17 stood at the sink, completely oblivious to the fact the he was not alone anymore. He was almost done here now, then it was outside to clean to swimming pool – and that was no easy task.

Taking his hands out of the dirty dish water, he sighed and turned to leave – only to collide with something that was easily twice his size, and before he could even begin to mutter an apology, he was smacked clear to the other side of the room.

"Ouch" 17 mumbled as he rubbed the side of his head and spit his own blood out of his mouth. He hadn't seen that one coming. Blinking away a slight case of dizziness, he stood up and glared angrily at Nappa. He'd never really liked Nappa all that much, though what he's done to deserve that was really beyond him.

Nappa turned away from the scrawny man and grinned, that felt good, but it had been to easy. What he wanted was a challenge, but who could he fight against, be challenged by, but still beat, it certainly was a conundrum. But then again.... He could just beat the crap out of the slave. Throwing a calculating glance over his shoulder at the younger man - who was still curiously watching him, he decided that it would be to easy to beat this guy, he would probably kill him, and he didn't wish to explain to the King why he was going around killing off his slaves. Shaking his head, he decided it would be best to vent his anger somewhere else, and he left the room.

17 rested his weight against the counter and counted his blessings, that was the first thing that had gone right for him all day. Nappa could have, and would have crushed him. But he'd gotten away with nothing more than a smack in the mouth. Running his tongue against his teeth, he grimaced and spit more blood on Nisons nice clean floor, it tasted horrible. Then he reached his hand up to his head, to the spot where it had connected with the kitchen counter, it was throbbing, and 17 was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing. When he pressed his hand to the wound, he frowned and let a few choice words escape his lip, he could feel something sticky and warm against his finger tips, and he knew straight away that it was blood. But luckily for him, it was only a little bit of blood, it wouldn't cause him any serious damage, maybe just a head ache. That was two things that had gone right for him in one day. Someone must be feeling sorry for him.

***

It was late when Chi-chi and the Queen arrived back from their shopping trip, well after dinner and almost dark.

Chi-chi yawned loudly as she headed up the hall to her room, Kakkarot right at her side. Holding tightly onto his hand they turned another corner and then another.

"My feet are killing me" complained Chi-chi as they headed toward her bedroom.

"Allow me to help" offered Kakkarot, and before Chi-chi had a chance to reply he had swept her off her feet and was cradling her in his arms.

"You know, this really isn't necessary" said Chi-chi

"I know"

When they arrived at Chi-chi's room, Kakkarot gently put her down on the bed then rested himself beside her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed loudly.

"What's wrong?" asked Kakkarot as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Nothing...everything" Chi-chi was very vague with her reply.

"Well which one is it?"

Chi-chi sat up, and rested her head in her hands. "Daddy's sending people to Namek, to fight Frieza".

Kakkarot gasped, this was big news! "Chi, I had no idea, do you know who's he's sending?"

Chi-chi began to snivel, she was about to start crying, she just knew it.... She didn't want him to go "The same people he sent out last time" then she burst into tears and buried her head in Kakkarot's chest "I don't want you to go" he whimpered, her voice muffled by Kakkarot.

Wrapping his arms around her in a big bear hug, he rubbed her back in slow comforting circles. "Shhh don't cry Chi, it's ok. I'll make sure it's ok. If I have to go to Namek then so be it, you know I'll come back, nothing can keep me away from you. I love you".

Chi-chi wiped her eyes and looked up at Kakkarot, that was the first time he had ever told her that. "Y-y-you what?" she stuttered

"I love you Chi-chi" Kakkarot repeated himself, with a wide grin. Then he brought his lips to Chi-chi's and kissed her for the longest time. It was the single most romantic experience of Chi-chi's life. When she pulled away, she was quiet for a long moment as she mulled over the situation, then she looked up at Kakkarot and smiled through her tears.

"I love you to"

***

A/N; Aww. Well what did you think? I'd love to hear in a review.

And thank-you to all you people who are reviewing my little story – well it's not so little anymore and the way it's going it could easily clear 35 chapters. I love you all for reviewing, if there was a way to come around and thank you all personally I would :) 

Review Please!

I said please so now you have to

~Deadly Beauty


	21. Sibling Rivalry

Disclaimer; I still don't own DBZ, it's only a month until my birthday though, anyone interested in buying me the rights?  
  
A/N; I am so unbelievably sorry for the ultra long wait. I really do have a list of very good excuses for taking so long with this, but it's too late and I am too tired to list them all. I hope you enjoy this chapter, a lot of hard work went into it. ~D.B  
  
And Then You'll Know  
  
Chapter 20  
  
It was late in the afternoon, the sun was sinking rapidly, giving way to night, and the sky was beautiful shades of pink and orange that only came out at sunset.  
  
The youngest of all the King's children stood out on his balcony, watching the sun rapidly disappear. His face was brightly lit up, giving off the appearance of a happy young prince. When in actual fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  
  
4 days.  
  
It was only 4 days until he was set to leave for the planet Namek, and he didn't want to go. It was a long trip, over half way across the universe it would take days for them to reach Namek. And for what, half a chance of beating Frieza. He had attended a meeting earlier that day, a briefing for him and all the other Sayians that had been selected to go to Namek.  
  
Krillen laughed mockingly at the irony of it all. The very soldiers that had helped Frieza destroy empires mere months ago, would be exactly the same troops to assist in his demise.  
  
Shaking his head, he turned and headed inside his bedroom, collapsing on his bed, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Wishing desperately he was anyone but him, he didn't want to live this life, he never asked for it.  
  
Casting his glance to his bedroom door, he listened to all the sounds coming from the other side. He could hear shoes tapping, phones ringing and people talking. But none of that interested him. He knew where he wanted to be, down with his friends, and 18 - his best friend.  
  
Standing up, he grabbed a jacket and left the room.  
  
***  
  
"Chi-chi!" shouted Bulma, and both girls burst into a fit of giggles, and it continued for at least 5 minutes. Chi-chi wiped tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes. But it didn't take long for her un-happy mood to set back in.  
  
"Chi, you need to cheer up. You're no fun when you're upset" said Bulma as she slipped another spoonful of chocolate ice cream in her mouth. It had sort of become a ritual between the two friends, that whenever one of them was depressed about something, they would sit around at Bulma's house and eat ice cream. Just like they were doing now. "Yeah, well how would you like it if your boyfriend was about to travel to some planet a million miles away to take on the universes greatest monster?" asked Chi-chi accusingly. What Bulma said next slipped out before she had even had a chance to think about it "Vegeta is going!"  
  
Chi-chi sat bolt upright and stared at her friend in shocked disbelief. "What?" she asked. Bulma fell silent 'Uh oh' she thought to herself 'Shouldn't of said that' "Ah it was nothing" she lied through her teeth.  
  
"No way B. There is no way you are not telling me any more. Spill" "It's nothing really," she could feel her cheeks getting increasingly hotter "It's just that the other day - when I hurt my arm...." she trailed off getting lost in the moment of that kiss. "Just what?" demanded Chi-chi "We kissed" admitted Bulma shyly, "And then the next day.... we kissed again" "Oh my god Bulma!" shrieked Chi-chi as she jumped off the bed and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my god!" Bulma rolled her eyes skywards and collapsed against the pillow, a grin stretching from ear to ear covering her face. After a few minutes of silent shock, Chi-chi sat down and spoke again. "So was it great?" Bulma made a face at her friend and sat up "Chi, we are talking about kissing your brother, you should be disgusted" Chi-chi smiled sheepishly at Bulma and laughed "I know, I am. But this isn't the kind of thing that happens everyday. I need details!" "It really was nothing! I was in the infirmary getting my arm bandaged and he was there and it just kinda happened. And the second time it was the same thing, only it was just outside in the hall" "So what's going on between you now?" Chi-chi asked, eager to get all the gossip. Bulma shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing" she said, "he said that we couldn't be any more than just friends" Chi-chi's eyes lit up "So he said you couldn't, not he wouldn't. That means he likes you! But why would he say something like that" Bulma looked Chi-chi straight in the eyes, "because you and I are best friends. Something about it not being right" "That's crap!" protested Chi, "I'd love to see you two together, you'd be so cute. Then you could double date with Kakkarot and me! I'm gonna go find Veg-head and tell him just what I think" "No!" exploded Bulma and she grabbed onto Chi-chi's arm preventing her from going anywhere, "don't" Chi-chi looked at her inquisitively "Why not?" she asked "Just don't," warned Bulma "If something really is supposed to happen between me and Vegeta, it'll happen without it needing to be forced" Chi-chi sighed, "Ok, I won't say anything".  
  
***  
  
"18, are you awake?" asked Krillen as he approached her bed. Her back was facing him, and he could see it had healed a lot in the past 2 weeks.  
  
"Hmmm, yeah I'm awake Krillen" she said as she rolled over and sat up, flashing him a beautiful smile. "I brought you something to eat" said Krillen and he produced a loaf of bread from his jacket. "I'm sorry I couldn't find anything better" "Krillen, don't apologize. You didn't need to do this you know" 18 re- assured him as she popped a chunk of bread in her mouth. Krillen looked around the room, it was almost empty. "Where's everyone else?" 18 shrugged her shoulder and yawned "Dunno. I suppose they're around somewhere" Krillen smiled at her "Oh well, I like it better this way anyway". 18 looked down the length of the bed to her feet and smiled, then she took hold of Krillens hand and gave it a gently squeeze. "You're to much sometimes, you know that" she said.  
  
Krillen only laughed.  
  
They were quiet for a long time, enjoying each others company, as they so often did. But eventually Krillen spoke up "Are you ok?" he asked "Yeah, I guess I'm fine" came 18's sleepy response. Krillen looked down at her curiously, it was only 7 o'clock, she shouldn't be sleepy yet  
  
"Is Chi-chi treating you badly?" asked Krillen, his voice full of concern. "Isn't she always?" "I mean worse than usual" "Well not really. But the workload has increased dramatically. I can't keep up with it all" "I'll talk with her" said Krillen, 18's tiredness was beginning to rub off on him now, and he too let out a loud yawn. Then sinking down the bed, he curled up next to 18, and pretty soon, the pair were snoring their heads off.  
  
***  
  
"Mmmmm" Chi-chi let a content sigh escape her lips as she rolled into the warmth of Kakkarot's body. He also let out a happy mumble though he was still mostly asleep.  
  
Opening one of her eyes, she pulled the covers closer to her body and relaxed against Kakkarot. The pair had been spending an awful lot of time together lately, but there was really nothing more that could be expected, in only 3 short days, he would be gone. She did feel guilty for taking him from his family though, maybe she should let him go.  
  
"Chi" came the sleepy sigh from behind her. Then she could feel Kakkarot's teeth gently tugging on her ear, it tickled and made her squirm and laugh. "Don't," she scolded him playfully "it's to early". Kakkarot yawned and sat up. "Man I'm hungry" he said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Chi-chi shook her head and laughed. Then reaching over she found her clothes and slipped into them, she waited as Kakkarot did the same, then hand in hand they headed down the hall for breakfast.  
  
They were the last to arrive to the dining room - as usual. "Krillen!" Kakkarot greeted his younger friend enthusiastically "hi". Krillen was less eager to reply, he knew if he did he would cop it from Chi- chi later. "Hi" "Chi, do you think it would be ok if I sat next to Krillen?". There were two very shocked faces when he asked this question. "What, why?" she asked, obviously confused beyond all belief as to why he would want to go anywhere near her stupid kid brother. "Cause he's my friend" he stated as if it was the most obvious answer. Chi- chi was lost for words, but clearly not impressed, "Well I guess if you want to" Kakkarot's eyes lit up. "You're the best babe, thanks".  
  
After that, breakfast went off with out a hitch, except for the death glares Chi-chi kept shooting across the table at Krillen. Vegeta watched from his spot at the end of the long table with wry grin on his face, he found it quite amusing to watch those two.  
  
"Father, I hope you enjoy your day, but if I may be excused, I have things that I really must attend to" Vegeta explained as he pushed his chair back and stood up. The King nodded "Of course son. I'll see you at dinner then" Vegeta nodded then turned and strode out the room.  
  
Out in the hall he bumped into the Queen, she looked distressed. "Are you ok?" he asked. Kahlia blinked then smiled at him "Yeah, I'm fine" she replied somewhat distantly. "Sure?" he asked. "Yes Vegeta, I'm fine". Vegeta raised an eyebrow and looked at her, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt none the less, "Alright then" he said and he continued off down the hall.  
  
***  
  
Back in the dining room, there were only two people left sitting at the table. The two youngest children of the King. Krillen sat with his head resting in his hands, a million thoughts running through his mind, most of them relating to 18 in one way or another.  
  
On the other side of the table sat Chi-chi, a scowl directed at her brother constantly plastered on her face. Picking up her coffee cup she took a sip and returned it to the table. It was empty now. Rolling her eyes she stood up and proceeded to leave the room.  
  
"Chi-chi, wait!" called Krillen as she reached for the door handle. She stopped, but didn't turn to face him - why should she? "What?" "I need to talk to you". Rolling her eyes again, she returned to her seat. "Well talk"  
  
Krillen sighed as he thought about what he wanted to say, no matter what she wasn't going to like hearing it. "Look," he began "You need to take it easier on 18" Chi-chi's eyes grew wide and she unconsciously balled her fists. "What? You have absolutely no say in the way I treat that...that...that thing" she sneered. Krillen could feel himself getting angrier and angrier, but he tried to restrain himself, yelling at Chi-chi never accomplished anything. He tried again - his calmest voice - to talk to her "She can't keep going Chi-chi. If you don't stop soon you are going to kill her". Chi-chi pushed her chair back and flung her arms out to her sides "does it look like I care?" she asked then she stormed out the room. Krillen shook his head and groaned, he should have been expecting that.  
  
***  
  
"Spar...that's what I need...I need to spar" Chi-chi muttered to herself as she stomped towards her bedroom. Flinging her door open, she looked around her bedroom and spotted 18 folding clothing. 'You' Chi-chi though to herself, 'this is all your fault. I should kill you right here and now' her mind hissed. She walked over to the cupboard and pulled everything out - more mess for 18 to clean up. Eventually she found her blue spandex and she quickly changed into it. Then pulling on her white, gold tipped boots she stormed out the room in a worse mood then she had come in in.  
  
18 growled and ran her hands through her knot filled hair. Was she to never get any peace?  
  
By the time Chi-chi arrived at the G.R's she was well and truly ready to pound someone into the floor and she was in luck, Vegeta was already training.  
  
He would spar with her.  
  
Walking up to the G.R he was in, she pressed the big red button, ending the increased gravity simulation. "Gravity simulation ceased, gravity returning to normal" boomed the robotic female voice. Chi-chi smirked and pulled the door open. "What do you want?" asked Vegeta from high above her. "Get your butt down here and spar with me right now!" she called up to him. He landed on the ground with a thud that echoed throughout the metallic room "Alright then. It's been a while since I've had the chance you beat you. Let's go" said Vegeta as he slammed his fist down on the big green button on the control panel. "Gravity simulation beginning. Gravity rising to 320 times normal" the robotic woman spoke again. The siblings both dropped into a fighting stance and awaited the climax of the gravity increase before they lunged at each other.  
  
It only took minutes for them to break a sweat, both were fighting to win. And while Chi-chi wasn't really used to training in this much gravity she was managing, and she'd managed to land in a few good hits on her brother.  
  
Seeing his fist about to collide with her face, she jumped back and leaped into the air where she quickly threw a blue energy ball at her brother, he easily dodged it though. Chi-chi growled and tried again, this time hitting him with a barrage of energy attacks - something was bound to hit him eventually.  
  
Back on the ground, Vegeta laughed at his sister and powered up slightly, a white Ki exploded around him, destroying all of his sister's Ki balls.  
  
"Damn you Vegeta" she yelled as she flew towards him, she knew now that she would have to use her brain to win this fight.  
  
Vegeta grinned as he slammed his fist against Chi-chi's cheek, which sent her reeling to the other side of the room, she got up quickly though and he was on her again, attacking her with everything he had. He went for another punch to the head, but Chi-chi threw her hands up, preventing him from making contact, then she did something totally unexpected. Before Vegeta even realized she had moved, she had him in a headlock and was very quickly cutting of his supply of oxygen. "You're gonna have to do better than that to beat me Veg-head" she announced. "Don't call me that!" Vegeta spat through his desperate attempt to breathe. Chi-chi burst out laughing then, she was enjoying the brief advantage she had over him, he felt her shift her weight and he knew what she was going to do next. She flipped him right over her back and flung him halfway across the room.  
  
Vegeta landed with a very loud thud on his shoulder and a sharp pain shot right through his whole body and he swore loudly. But as soon as the pain subsided he was back on his feet. Panting heavily and sweating like a pig, but otherwise, he was ok. "You are going to pay for that" he threatened, and Chi-chi could tell by the tone of his voice that he meant business - this wasn't a friendly sparring match anymore.  
  
Before long, they were up in the air, attacking each other with an impressive array of punches and kicks, each trying to outdo the other.  
  
"You know what Vegeta, I hope you die on Namek" she snarled as she gave him a roundhouse to the stomach. "Yeah, well at least I'm not dating, a stupid, dim-witted, moron!" he shouted by way of very rude reply, knowing full well how much that would piss her off.  
  
"Kakkarot is not a moron!" she screamed as she powered up to her absolute maximum, the white aurora that was surrounding her was huge, and so bright it lit up the dark room as if it were day. "Oh I think he is" Vegeta mocked his sister as he wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "You take that back" she hissed, and then she attacked Vegeta with everything she had - and that was a lot more than Vegeta was expecting. He hardly stood a chance against his irate sister, and in only minutes she had pounded him into the floor, to the point of near death. "Have you learnt your lesson now?" she asked as she landed on the ground and ended the gravity simulation. Then she took hold of Vegeta's hand and helped him up, he didn't thank her. He only snorted and half limped - half stomped out of the room.  
  
Resting her hands on her hips she looked around the room, surveying the damage. Burn marks on the walls from Ki, dints in the wall, pools of blood! Good heavens, she hadn't realized they had done that much damage. Oh well, she'd find 18 and make her clean it, really rub Krillen the wrong way. And why not? He'd be gone in a few days anyway.  
  
***  
  
Krillen was hungry.  
  
It was 6 O'clock; dinner would be served in about 30 minutes. But could he really wait that long? Sighing, he allowed his head to sink further into the soft fluffy pillow - reminding him again just how lucky he was compared to a lot of other - he could wait 30 minutes more.  
  
Soon it was time for dinner - and Krillen couldn't be gladder, his stomach was rumbling, telling him to hurry up and eat something. He practically ran down the halls to get to the dining room, not stopping for anything.  
  
He stopped just outside the dining room to collect his composure, then he strolled into the room, his brother was already in his seat, which just left their sister to join them. Usually they would wait for the King, but tonight he was out with Queen Kahlia, having dinner in one of the most expensive restaurants on Vegeta-sei. "Krillen" greeted Vegeta with a short nod. Krillen looked curiously at his older brother as he sat down, it wasn't normal for Vegeta to actually talk to him, but he replied none the less. "Vegeta. How are you?" "Fine" "That's good".  
  
Chi-chi burst into the room then, and she didn't look impressed at all. Now that they were all present, the waitress's began, they filled glasses, presented food, cleared used dishes and didn't stop until the Kings children had.  
  
Despite how hungry he was, Krillen only picked at his food, he had more important things on his mind, mainly to do with his brother and sister. He needed to make amends with them, he didn't want to leave for Namek knowing they both hated him  
  
"Chi-chi"  
  
Chi-chi looked up when she heard her name being called "what?" she asked as she shoveled more food into her mouth, she was to tired and sore to bother being snappy with Krillen. Krillen took a deep breath and looked his sister in the eyes, "Uh, well I'm leaving in a few days, and I guess I don't want to leave and be on bad terms with you. I know you don't want to acknowledge me as your brother, and I'm not going to ask you to. I just want to know that we're ok with each other" he said  
  
Chi-chi blinked and furrowed her brow in confusion; "What do you want from me? If you expect me to just accept you and promise to get along with you for no good reason then you've got another thing coming," she said as she stood up. "I'm leaving".  
  
"Sit down!" boomed Vegeta as he slammed his fist down on the table. Everyone in the room jumped, no one had ever heard him speak that loud, he sounded exactly like their father when he was in a bad mood. Chi-chi looked at her brother, but didn't dare challenge him, doing what she was told, she retook her spot at the table. "Chi-chi, Krillen is right, we can't leave things like this" he paused for a minute "not when there is a chance that we won't be coming back"  
  
"I...I...I can't believe you Vegeta!" said Chi-chi, her voice raising as she spoke, "how can you possibly side with him?" "Because he's right!" Vegeta screamed to his little sister, he was well and truly pissed now. Krillen rested his head in his hands and sighed, this was not going the way he had planned at all. Vegeta and Chi-chi continued to scream at each other for almost 5 minutes before they ran out of things to say. "Ok, well now that's over. Can we please talk about this?" Krillen demanded more than asked. Both of his siblings sat down at the table glaring at each other. "Well I just want to get out of here, so why don't we all just agree that when Krillen and I get back, we will sit down and discuss this like proper adults" said Vegeta as he rubbed his temples. "Yep, whatever" muttered Chi-chi and she quickly left the room. "Thanks Vegeta, I owe you" Krillen called over his shoulder as he also left the room.  
  
Vegeta let his head bang against the table, it didn't hurt him. "Don't mention it"  
  
***  
  
A/N; Well what did you think? I'd love to hear in a review. Hopefully the next chapter wont be too far away. ~D.B 


	22. Painful Goodbyes

Disclaimer; I don't own DBZ, it's only a few days till my birthday though

A/N; I finally got around to posting another chapter posted fir you all. I really wasn't expecting to get this updated for at least another week so you are all very lucky that I got my lazy butt into action and updated this. Hope you like it. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 21**

It was a big day for the palace. It was a big day for the whole Sayian Empire. But most of all, it was a big day for the 33 Sayians that were going to be heading off on their epic journey across the universe.

The sun had yet to rise, and spread it's golden glow over the land, but already, the palace was buzzing with quiet life.

"Tarie, what in the hell am I supposed to do with this?" asked 18 as she scratched her head in confusion, shifting the object in her hands so she could look at it from several different angles. "Um," Tarie took the metal object from 18 and also studied it, "you are supposed to.... um.... give it to Nison!". She plonked the thing in Nison's hands as he was walking past. He shot her a funny look, but he seemed to know what to do with the thing.

The 2 girls, along with all of their friends, were in the grand hall – the King had planned a farewell breakfast for his men and he had also invited many of the planets most important people to say goodbye to their brave soldiers. And this was no small event, everything was to be perfect – which was why they had had to get up at 3am, even though the guest wouldn't be arriving until around 8.

18 picked up a tablecloth, ripped the packaging off it, and spread it across the table, all in one swift movement. It was pretty much the same thing as making Chi-chi's bed, so she considered herself an expert.

"Hey 18, what do you think?" she heard 17 call to her. 18 turned to look at her brother and smiled, "You look very handsome, don't you think Tarie?" Tarie nodded her head up and down eagerly, then she quickly placed a kiss on 17's cheek and bounced off to find something else to do.

18 took in her brother's attire approvingly. He was dressed in his new suit, it contained proper black slacks, and a brand new, pristine white shirt – plus a bow tie that was done up extremely badly.

18 shook her head and took a step towards him, "let me fix this". 17 laughed sheepishly and 18 noticed a faint blush tinge his features as she re-did his tie then rested her hands on his shoulders.

"How have you been?" she asked. It had been a long time since they had had a real conversation. They had both been so busy, not only working. But they had both been coming into their own in a way. Finding out who they were and exactly what they wanted from life – even if it was unattainable. Dreaming never hurt anybody. But finding out who you were was a very time consuming process, and it had taken away from the time they would usually spend together. Plus 17 had been spending an awful lot of time with Tarie, she had become the most important girl in his life – even he didn't realise it had happened, 18 sure saw it. If it had of been anyone else who had stolen her brother away, she probably would of killed them – and she could if she wanted, but as it was, Tarie was one of her closest friends and she was happy to let her have 17.

17 looked his sister in the eyes, and gave her a genuine smile "I've been ok," he said "you?"

"Fine" she replied, "well, I'd better get back to it," she said and she walked off. The two really had become very distant lately, and 18 had a feeling it was mostly her twin's fault.

***

Krillen's alarm was set for 6am, which would give him plenty of time to get up and get ready for breakfast. But when he opened his eyes, it was only 5.30, rolling over, he buried his head in his pillow and groaned, it was far to early to be awake, even if this was one of the most important days of his young life. He felt absolutely sick to his stomach, today was the day. And it felt like this could be the first day of the last of his life.

Krillen was 19 years old, and never had he ever felt like he needed his mother more than he did right now.

Despite the early hour he could already hear much going on in the hall outside, he pulled the pillow over his head to try and drone out the sound, maybe if he could get back to sleep he would sleep right through the day. Then this living nightmare would be over, he wouldn't have to go to Namek, wouldn't have to see Frieza, wouldn't have to leave 18. The nightmare would be no more.

But little did he realise that morning as he climbed out of bed and stumbled towards his bathroom for a hot shower, that his nightmare was only just beginning.

***

Chi-chi wanted to look good for Kakkarot, it would be one of the last times he would see her for who knows how long and she wanted him to have good memories of her.

She was wandering around her bedroom with one towel wrapped around her body, and one towel wrapped around her wet hair, and of course her favourite pair of fluffy pink slippers. Soft music filled her bedroom and the slowly rising sun was coating her room in pretty morning colours. She decided she would wear a pantsuit to breakfast – it wasn't to fancy, but it was dressy enough. Her suit was black, made up of pants and a jacket and had very thin grey pinstripes, plus she was also wearing a silky white shirt underneath. She'd managed to pull of a very sexy look by leaving the few top buttons of her shirt undone. She pulled half of her silky black hair back and tied it up. Then she found her favourite pair of black sandals – with the big heels, and pulled then on. Soon she was ready, she left her room and rushed off towards the section of the palace where all the employees of the King lived, that included his guards, all his officials, the doctors and nurses who worked in the medical wing and of course all the scientist and researchers.

Oh yes, a lot more than just the ruling of the planet went on inside the palace walls, approximately 4000 people lived and worked inside these walls – which was why the palace was so big. If you included the abundance of grounds surrounding the palace, it would take you close to an hour to walk from one end of the palace to the other.

Chi-chi had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realise she had gotten to Bulma's apartment. She knocked on the door a few times then waited.

Bulma's mum, Bunny, greeted her. "Chi-chi dead, how are you this morning? Come in won't you. Would you like some coffee?" 

Chi-chi stepped into the house, as always, she felt overwhelmed by Bunnies enthusiasm towards well – everything. "No, I'm fine thank-you. Is Bulma almost ready?"

"You no, I'm not quite sure dear. Why don't you go pop your head in the door and find out. Because her father and I are almost ready to head down there you know. But oh you know my Bulma. Always has to look perfect for everything, especially if boys are going to be there" Bunny rattled on and on and on, not even realising that Chi-chi had already walked off.

Bulma had music absolutely blaring out of her stereo as she bounced around her room in a white singlet top and a pair of skimpy Black panties. She disappeared into her closet for a few minutes and when she reappeared, Chi-chi was leaning against her bedroom door. Bulma turned the music down and greeted her best friend "Good morning Chi"

"Morning B-Chan. You should be ready by now you know"

Bulma stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and tried to make it look like she was the victim. "I know, but I have to much to choose from. But you, you look fantastic"

Chi-chi smiled then pushed Bulma back into the big walk in closet to help her find something to wear.

10 minutes later Bulma was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, Chi-chi's silky black shirt, which had mysteriously ended up in Bulma's closet, and a black leather jacket that fell to her knee's.

"I can't believe you stole my shirt B-Chan!" scoffed Chi-chi as she watched Bulma brush her hair.

"Oh stop complaining, you steal my stuff all the time"

Chi-chi glanced up at the clock on the wall and jumped, "Shit, I'm gonna be late. I'll see you there ok" she said, and without waiting for a reply and ran off.

***

Almost all the guest had arrived when Chi-chi ran into the Grand Hall, via a door through the kitchen. She had had to push her way through the 40 or so slaves that were working in there. But when she got into the hall, even she had to admit they had done a good job. She quickly spotted the table where her family was seated, along with Queen Kahlia, who she was to be seated next to.

"Good morning Chi-chi, you look lovely this morning" commented the Queen

Chi-chi smiled at the older woman "Thank-you" she said as she played nervously with her tail.

Then she saw him.

Kakkarot was seated with his family in at a table towards the center of the room. Chi-chi excused herself from her table, and headed over to his.

"Good morning everyone" she greeted as she politely shook hands with Bardok, Neha, Radditz and Turles. And she had a nice big kiss for Kakkarot.

Kakkarot wrapped his arms around Chi-chi waist and pulled her down onto the lap, Chi-chi shrieked then burst out laughing. God she was going to miss him.

"How have you all been?" asked Chi-chi, as he locked her fingers with Kakkarot's

"Fine thank-you. Tell us, did you enjoy the ball?"

Chi-chi's eyes lit up "Oh yes, it was a fantastic event, we had a wonderful time. The articles in the newspapers hardly did it justice" she raved. Neha turned to Bardok and smiled, "Well we're glad you enjoyed yourself"

Chi-chi looked towards the door and saw her father about to walk into the room. She quickly gave Kakkarot one last kiss, then returned to her seat for breakfast.

***

18 made sure she stayed well away from the table Krillen and Chi-chi were at. She had no desire what so ever to go anywhere near Chi-chi when she didn't have to and she was afraid if she got to close to Krillen then she wouldn't be able to leave him. She was becoming attached to him – to attached to him, she didn't like the feeling of needing him. It was taking away her independence and she didn't like that one little bit.

Walking across the room, she handed out plate after plate of delicious smelling food. Seeing it all and smelling it all, but not being able to eat any of it, only made her 10 times hungrier than she already was. She'd passed out from hunger before, and she honestly wouldn't be surprised if it happened again, she hadn't eaten in almost 3 days as it was.

Sighing she turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen to make coffee. Tarie was supposed to be doing that, but she had said the smell was making her feel sick, so 18 had offered to swap with her.

"Ok Tarie, I'm here. Get your butt out there and give those rich snobs some breakfast". Tarie looked at 18 and raised an eyebrow, then a smirk appeared on her pretty features and she took some plates and left the kitchen.

18 smiled to her self and shook her head, she picked up the kettle full of hot water and busied herself making cup after cup of piping hot coffee.

Tarie wandered around the hall clutching a pitcher of juice in her hands. Everyone had their breakfast in front of them now, so it was up to her to make sure everyone's glasses were full. She walked up to 17, being careful not to get to close to him – there were working after all.

"How are you feeling?" 17 asked her

"Ok I suppose" replied Tarie, which was not true, she felt like she was about to vomit. 17 carefully took in her appearance and quickly came to the conclusion she was lying to him "Why are you lying to me?" he asked, "come on, Nison is washing up, you can switch with him". Tarie started to protest, but 17 would have none of it, he gently, yet with ample force, guided her to the kitchen.

***

The King leaned back into his chair and took in his surroundings, everything was going perfectly to plan. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, conversation and laughter filled the air – yes, this was good.

"Uh....papa" he heard his only daughter call him from 2 seats down.

"Yes Chi-chi, what can I do for you?" he asked with a smile

"Would you mind if I went and sat with Kakkarot?" Chi-chi asked, her voice full of hope. The King flashed his daughter a proud smile, seeing her this happy made him feel happy. "Of course you can go"

Chi-chi jumped up and planted a kiss on her fathers cheek, "thanks papa"

Kakkarot spotted Chi-chi approaching their table and began to wave like a moron. Chi-chi smiled and blew him a kiss, "Did you enjoy your breakfast?" she asked as she perched herself on Kakkarot's lap

"Since when has Kakkarot not enjoyed a breakfast?" called Turles from the other side if the table. Everyone at the table burst out laughing, and Kakkarot blushed a shade of deep red "I'm not a pig you know Turles" he retorted, once again arousing laughter from his family. "Come on Kakkarot, you eat more in one day, then we do in an entire week" Radditz sniggered through his laughter. Even Chi-chi had to try and suppress a giggle at her beloved Kakkarot's expense.

"Chi-chi," Kakkarot wined, "I'm not a pig, I swear", he stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and flashed her his puppy dog eyes.

Chi-chi cocked her head to the side, studied Kakkarot's face for a few moments then flashed him a big grin "Of course you're not a pig, baby" she said, and she pressed her lips to his.

Neha and Bardok exchanged happy glances, they were glad to see their boy happy. It was a memory they would be keeping close to their hearts for a very long time to come.

"I think my dad is gonna make a speech soon, I need to get back to my table" she whispered into his ear, her hot breath tickling the fine hairs residing there

"Ok then, I love you"

"I love you too"

***

17 headed down the hall, being sure to stomp his feet as hard as he could, he was in a bad mood – he hated the royals, he hated his work, he hated his life.

He hated everything!

Finally he arrived back at the slave quarters and walked inside, mumbling all sorts of profanities under his breath.

"18, where are you?" he called.

In the next room 18 looked up, she could tell by the tone of 17's voice that he was not in a good mood.

"Krillen maybe you should go, 17's not happy. He's not very nice when he's upset" 18 warned her prince. Krillen took hold of 18's hand and smiled warmly at her "Are you sure?" he asked, "If he's in a bad mood he might hurt you"

"It's ok, I know how to deal with him, come back in a little while ok"

"Ok"

Just as Krillen stood up, 17 walked through the archway into the room; the look he shot Krillen could have rivalled one of 18's glares. With one last smile for 18, Krillen fled the room.

18 stood up and walked right up to her brother, there was a look of pure rage on his face and 18 would have to tread carefully with her 'calm down, it's not worth it' speech or else she'd end up with a black eye.

"17, what's gotten into you?" she asked.

17 was literally shaking with rage, "nothing is wrong with me!" 18 crossed her arms over her chest, took a step back and raised a blonde eyebrow, "Bullshit. What eating at you 17?"

"I said nothing!" he snarled.

18 shook her head and looked at the floor. She rubbed her temples for a few minutes then let out a long sigh, "look 17, I don't have time for this, not today anyway," she admitted, "and if you're not gonna tell me what's wrong, I'm not gonna waste my time figuring it out. So let's either sit down and discuss this like mature adults, or let me get on with my business".

17 let out an exasperated sigh and collapsed onto the nearest bed, 18 smiled and sat beside him.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared across 17 face, and it eventually became an evil grin "what are you up to 17?"18 asked as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I've got a plan!" he announced.

"A plan?" she asked, wondering where the hell his bad, horrible mood went all of a sudden

"But you can't tell," he said "I'm leaving 18, fleeing this living hell. And then I'll come back for you and Tarie and Nison and we'll all be free" he raved on and on and on. And for a second 18 actually believed him, the hope dancing in his eye made her fall into his world for a brief moment – but she was quickly snapped back into reality.

"17, that's silly, you're being silly. We can't leave, not now or ever…..it's…it's…it's like this place has some kind of a magnetic pull on us and no matter how hard we try to escape, we'll just end up right back where we started. And besides, you can't leave Tarie here while you go gallivanting half way across the country, she needs you"

17 shook his head "No no no 18, not the country, I plan on leaving the entire planet behind. I've heard of this little planet, it's a fair way away, but they'll never find us there…its called Earth, and from what I've heard, we'll blend right in!"

"No 17" 18 stood up and backed away from her brother, "no! You're obviously not thinking straight. I'm gonna send Nison down to talk to you ok, maybe he can fix you. But I've got work to do. I'll talk to you later 17" she said, and she turned and practically ran out of the room.

***

Bulma stood in front of the mirror, her reflection shining back at her, and beyond her she could see Chi-chi's reflection. Both girls were on the verge of tears as the time when the men they loved would leave became dangerously close.

In her hands Chi-chi clutched a small, brightly wrapped gold parcel, and inside that was a box, it had all sorts of things inside for Kakkarot. A photo of him and Chi-chi at his parents ball, a whole bunch of news paper clipping about the 'happy couple', a nice long letter Chi-chi had written him and a bar of chocolate she had stuffed in there at the last minute, as well as a few other things.

"How long now?" asked Bulma as she carefully brushed mascara across her lashes. Chi-chi looked down at her watch and frowned "20 minutes until they'll start to arrive, an hour to blast off" she said.

Bulma shuddered, that wasn't very long at all.

"Come on," said Chi-chi, "let's go"

***

"There we go, perfect" Krillen said to himself as he laid a few item out on his bed. Next he picked up the key to his bedroom and a long piece of string, threading the string through the hole in the top of the key and knotting the two ends together, he effectively managed to make it into a necklace.

Looking up at the clock he gulped, he had five minutes to get to the docking bay. Taking one last glance around his bedroom, he sighed, picked up his red duffel bag and left the room.

"Krillen, hey!" Krillen heard someone calling him, and he knew who it was. Kakkarot.

"Hi" he said glumly, he was scared and nervous, but mostly scared.

"What's wrong?" asked Kakkarot as he placed a comforting hand on Krillen shoulder.

"Well I guess I'm just not really looking forward to this too much".

Looking around the courtyard, he sighed, everywhere he looked all he could see was Sayians laughing, yelling screaming…all over excited about the bloodbath that they were about to take part in.

"Hey, Krillen, I don't suppose you have anything to eat do you?" Kakkarot asked with a sheepish grin

"No Kakkarot, I don't…. sorry".

After a few more minutes of talking with Kakkarot, Chi-chi made her grand entrance into the courtyard, but that didn't bother him – he saw something else that caught his eye.

"18. I was hoping I'd get to see you" he said as he walked over to her. She was sitting on the steps that lead into the palace, out of everybody's way.

"Well I wasn't gonna let you go without saying goodbye" she said with a smile. Krillen sat down next to her and took her hand, something he did often. "Well, I have something for you" he said and he took his key necklace off.

"What's this?" asked 18 as she eyed the small silver key.

"It's the key to my bedroom, I want you to have it. Use it whenever you want, I'm leaving it totally to you to use as you see fit. You're the only one who can get in there," he said as he draped the necklace across her shoulders.

"Really?" asked 18, she sounded shocked

"Really really".

***

Where the hell was he? Almost everyone had arrived now and still there was no sign of Vegeta anywhere. Butterflies started to flit in her stomach as the time of departure got nearer and nearer and she still hadn't gotten to say good bye.

Another 5 minutes passed and men began to board the ship, looking around the courtyard; Bulma let a depressed sigh escape her lips. She was just about to give up hope and go back inside when she spotted him, dressed in a sleeveless black spandex, a blue duffel bag swinging by his side.

When he spotted her he decided to do the right thing and say goodbye. "Woman" he greeted with a nod.

Bulma raised an eyebrow "It's nice to see you to Vegeta" she said, her eyes were shiny with tears and she was hoping Vegeta wouldn't notice… but unfortunately for her, Vegeta was a very perceptive man.

"Why are you crying, woman?"

Bulma hiccupped and she knew the tears were about to flow "because I don't want you to go" she whimpered.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and stepped towards Bulma, before embracing her in a brief hug "Don't worry woman, I will be back. I'm not letting that son of a bitch take me down".

Bulma smiled at him and wiped the tears off her cheeks, "you know, I was talking to Chi-chi and -" but Vegeta cut her off before she could finish speaking. "I know, she spoke to me too, said 'know what would be cool Veg, if you and B-Chan went out" he said rolling his eyes as he tried to imitate his sister. Bulma had to laugh, "well I guess this is goodbye then, huh?" she asked.

"Only for now" replied Vegeta in the same cool tone of voice that could not possibly belong to anyone else but him.

"Well, can I at least have something to remember you by?" Bulma asked, blushing slightly. Vegeta frowned slightly at what she was implying, but none the less, he quickly pecked her on the cheek.

Bulma was not impressed "Nuh-uh Vegeta, no good" she said, and before he realised what had happened, Bulma threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, giving him a kiss he would never forget whether he wanted to or not.

***

"Please stay" Chi-chi begged through her tears, "please please please please please stay". Kakkarot smiled down lovingly at her and buried his face in her sweet smelling hair, "I have to go Chi, but I'll be back, I promise" Looking over Chi-chi he saw his family, they were standing back quietly waiting for their turn to say goodbye to their son.

Neha has a tissue and was gently dabbing at her eyes, not wanting her boys to see her cry, and even Bardok was a little misty eyed. Unwrapping Chi-chi from his grip, he walked over to his parents and took both of them in his embrace, "I'm gonna miss you guys. I'll think about you everyday, I promise" he said as he kissed mother on the cheek and shook his father's hand, "Go on son, go and show him just what the Sayian race is made of"

"I'll do that, dad," he said as he moved along the line to Radditz. "Guess your gonna have to start picking on Turles now huh?" he asked as he shook his oldest brothers hand 

"I guess so. But don't worry, I'll be waiting for you to get back. By then, I'll probably have though up heaps on mean things to do to you" he joked

"You will do nothing of the sort Radditz Son" Neha scolded him through her tears. Kakkarot laughed and turned his attention back to Radditz "I'll miss you" he said

"Right back at ya little bro"

Last but not least he came to Turles, as twins they had always had a special type of bond, a friendship that couldn't be broken. You could ask anyone you'd always get the same answer, ever since they had been children Kakkarot and Turles had been inseparable. For Kakkarot, saying goodbye to his twin, was the hardest goodbye of all. Instead of a friendly handshake, he had a hug for his brother. "I'm gonna miss you most of all Turles, but don't tell Chi-chi I said that". Turles laughed and patted him on the back, "I'll be seeing you again real soon, I just know it," he said "you're gonna go out there and kick some butt. And when you get back, we'll go for Ice-cream" Kakkarot's face lit up at the mention of his favourite dessert.

Then he was back at Chi-chi, "Don't cry Chi, you not gonna miss me that much, you've got Bulma to talk to, and lots and lots of things to do. And maybe my family will have you over for dinner some time. I'll be back before you know it" he soother her and wiped the tears off her face.

Chi-chi produced her gift for him from under her jacket then, "This is for you," she said as she handed it over. "But I don't want to open it until you can't see Vegeta-sei anymore, ok"

"Alright then. I have to go now," he said, and with one last kiss for Chi-chi, he boarded the ship. 

The King came over to the group then and took his only daughter into a comforting hug as she cried. He was not going to Namek, Vegeta-sei still needed someone to rule over it, and since he didn't know how long his men would gone for it would be unfair to leave it up to Chi-chi when it wasn't even her planet to rule.

"Perhaps Kakkarot's family would like to dine with us tonight" suggest the King, "why don't you ask them?"

***

Inside the ship it was crazy, all the men were filing into the briefing room for a roll call, although most of them were taking their time, not wanting to leave the small windows and the views of their family.

"Would all personnel, I repeat all personnel, please make their way to the briefing room immediately" boomed Nappa over the intercom system.  Within 5 minutes, the room was full. "Alright quiet down men!" Nappa commanded, he had been appointed by the King as chief of this mission, and as such, it was his job to keep everything in order and running smoothly at all times.

"Ok, before we can take off I need to make sure everyone is here, when I call your name you will respond with present. Not here, or yes – present, got it?"

Once everyone had been checked off the list, they were assigned to beds as well as giving a booklet detailing everything they would need to know about the ship, about Frieza and about their mission

And then it was blast off time.

In the courtyard, smoke began to rise from underneath the huge ship and it made a loud hissing sound. All the spectators took a few steps away from the ship to avoid getting covered in smoke.

All the way back on the steps, 18 stood up and watched, there was a funny feeling inside her stomach, something she hadn't felt before...could it be that she was missing him already, already longing for his company. Was it love?

Well whatever it was, it was making her cry, she couldn't watch yet another person she was close to leave her life "bye Krillen" she whispered to herself, before she turned and headed inside the palace. 

She was wandering aimlessly around the palace, looking for something to take her mind of Krillen, when she bumped into Tarie, "Hey, are you alright?" she asked

18 shook her head to clear her thoughts "Uh…yeah, I'm fine"

But Tarie didn't buy it, "You're not fine at all 18," she placed a hand on her friends shoulder and noticed that she was shaking, "Krillen's gone isn't he". 18 nodded and collapsed into a nearby chair. "He gave me the key to his room" she said.

Tarie smiled, "Well do you wanna go check it out?" she asked. Trying to life 18's spirits, she didn't wait for a reply, she just took hold of 18's arm and lead her down the hall.

***

"Wow" said Tarie as she looked around the big, expensively furnished room, "Impressive"

18 made her way around the room, picking up and touching everything that belonged to Krillen, it all smelt of him, and reminded her of him. But when she arrived at his bed, she found a little surprise. There were a few boxes and some bags all laying there, and a card that simply read 'enjoy'

Upon sitting down to further investigate, she found a simple white envelope with her name on it. She picked it up and studied it for a few minutes before opening it up and reading the letter that was inside.

Her eyes darted across the page as she read what Krillen had written to her, and as she did her face paled. When she was done, she put the paper down and stared blankly at the wall, not knowing what else to do.

  
"Oh my god," she muttered to herself as she once again picked up the letter, "oh my god"

***

A/N; Well there you have it, the next instalment of A.T.Y.K is done! I'd love to hear what you thought of it in a review! Until next time I update bye bye! ~Deadly Beauty


	23. The Times Are Changing

Disclaimer; 99 percent of the stuff in this story I don't own

A/N; I am soooooooooo unbelievably sorry that I haven't updated for so long, but everything was going sweet and then my life had to go and get 10 hundred times busier. But I have made the extra special effort of getting you guys an update. Please don't hate me because I have left it so long, I really do feel terrible about it. ~D.B

Oh and I would like to dedicate this chapter to my very good friend Kelly Neptunus who is the best and I want to say thanks to Kel for being my friend!

And Then You'll Know

Chapter 22

"18 are you ok?" asked Tarie as she walked across the room, "you look sick". She noticed the sheet of paper in by 18's side and thought that maybe it had something to do with her sudden mood change, but when she reached out to grab it 18's hand darted our and took it. Clutching it close to her chest, 18 gave Tarie a dirty look, "this is mine" she hissed.

"Ok then," said Tarie sympathetically, it was obviously something 18 wanted to keep private, and she wasn't one to pry "wanna talk about it?"

"No, let's go downstairs. I'm sleepy"

***

After a long, cold night, the sun began to rise over Vegeta-sei, it was however, over run by a thick band of dark rain clouds. The result was a dark, gloomy, miserable day on the planet. The type where you would like nothing more than to stay in bed all day and let the bad weather pass. But unfortunately for some, they didn't have the luxury of staying in bed all, they had things to do, places to be, people to meet.

It was 7.30 when Chi-chi's alarm went off, she sat up, yawned, stretched and eventually gathered up enough strength to pull herself out of the bed. Her stomach was rumbling, telling her it was time for breakfast, she needed to eat something. Slipping into a comfy pair of pale pink sweatpants and a white tank top, she headed off towards the dining hall.

It was oddly quiet at the breakfast table that morning. Only Chi-chi, her father and Queen Kahlia were eating. Chi-chi had thought that with her brothers gone, things would be peaceful around the palace, but she was wrong, it wasn't peaceful, it was just plain boring. There was no one to talk to – besides Bulma of course, but she was usually busy working in the lab during the days. There was no one but 18 for her to pick on, and even Chi-chi had to admit that there was only so much torture you could put one through before it became nothing more than boring. But worst of all there was no one there to love her and hold her and kiss her – and she had become extremely addicted to kissing Kakkarot. Of course her father was there, and Chi-chi knew he loved her, but that wasn't the type of love she was craving – and it had only been one day.

Kakkarot was her first boyfriend – he was the first boy who had ever managed to catch her attention and keep it. Bulma said it was because she wasn't officially of age yet – she was only 20 to be of age of Vegeta-sei, you had to be 21. Bulma was already of age, in fact, in a few weeks she would be 22 and she said that when you turned 21 it was like your hormones all exploded. Everything that didn't seem that interesting before suddenly became fascinating and all you wanted to do was see whether it really was that great or not.

Of course that wasn't to say that you couldn't experience all of that before you were 21, but according to Bulma it all became so much better once you were.

Chi-chi sighed absent mindedly, if things were with Kakkarot were going to get better when she turned 21, she couldn't wait – she already felt like she was in heaven when she was with him. Could things really get better than that?

  
"You seems happy to day Chi-chi" said Kahlia from across the table. Chi-chi looked at her and smiled – she was so pretty. Her pale pink hair was shining in what little morning sunlight there was, she was wearing a full length red silky dress with black flowers on it, it was beautiful. "I was just thinking" she replied. Chi-chi knew that today was the last day Queen Kahlia would be spending on the planet, she had to return home, after spending just over a month with the Sayians. She had come to Vegeta-sei to help the King plan the revolt against Frieza, and now that the Sayians had left, she had to as well.

37 men from Bindoon – Kahlia's home planet were also going to going to Namek bringing the total up to 70 men. The Sayian spaceship would be docking on Bindoon approximately 72 hours after it left Vegeta-sei to collect her troops, then it was off on the epic 2-week journey to Namek. And if it all went to plan when Frieza got there, they would be ready and waiting.

***

By the time 18 had finished her usual every day jobs it was well into the afternoon, but she was far from finished yet, she was expected to go out into the garden and weed. She hated to weed, it was dirty and horrible and there were bugs! You would think that after living at the very bottom of the palace, with all sorts or rodents and spiders that she would be able to handle a few measly bugs. But no, not 18. Every mouse, ran, spider or worm that ever happened to cross paths with her found out what it was like to be disintegrated by a very hot ball of energy.

Walking out into the garden, she smiled. She could see Tarie down on her hands and knees, already there was a decent sized pile of weeds next to her.

"Hi" she said as she sat down next to Tarie, almost immediately she noticed there was something about her friend that was not quiet right, "you ok?"

Tarie shook her head and gave 18 a weak smile,18 could tell instantly that it was fake and that Tarie was not 'ok"

"Tarie why are you lying to me?" she asked, but she didn't get a reply.

Tarie's whole world was spinning, she put her hands on head but that didn't work, the dizziness didn't subside, it wouldn't go away, in fact, Tarie was sure it was getting even worse. Why was this happening – she had no idea, but there was nothing she could do about it. Slaves had no access to medical attention, they just had to grin and bare it, but this was getting beyond a joke now, it had been going on for almost a month now. Suddenly Tarie felt her stomach muscles contract and she faintly heard 18 tell her that if she was going to vomit to please do it in the garden, and that was exactly what she did.

18 turned her head away from Tarie, the mere sight of vomit made her feel queasy, but she couldn't just walk away from her friend who very obviously needed her help. Once Tarie had finished, 18 lead her to a near by bench and sat her down.

"Now are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?" she asked

"Nothing's wrong"

"Bloody hell Tarie, I went through this yesterday with 17. I know you are lying to me, you were just sick and you made a right mess of yourself, now tell me, what's wrong" Tarie shuddered, she was cold and scared.

"Can we go inside first? I need to clean myself up"

"Fine" 18 replied, "I'll take you to Krillen's room" 

Once they arrived at Krillen's room, 18 shut and locked behind them. "Take you shirt off" demanded 18. Tarie's eyes widened "what?"

"Do you want me to wash that or not?" asked 18

"Oh ok" said Tarie and she threw her shirt at 18, who took it into the bathroom and proceeded to fill the basin up with warm water. Looking around she smiled, she had failed to come in here yesterday, she had now found that Krillen had left several more gifts in here for her.

Once the shirt was clean 18 walked out onto Krillen's balcony and draped it over the banister. Then she walked inside and threw open Krillen's closet, she found an old shirt and threw it at Tarie "Put that on" she said.

"But…but it's Krillen" Tarie protested.

"Krillen is in outer space, I don't think he's gonna mind" argued 18, Tarie shrugged her shoulders and slipped into the shirt.

"Now, talk to me"

Tarie sighed, as much as she didn't want to talk about this, she knew it would be good to get it off her chest. "18, I think….I think I.." she broke off then and started to cry. 18 put her hand on Tarie's back in a comforting gesture, "C'mon, it's alright, tell me" she urged.

"I think I might be pregnant 18!" she cried. 18's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped, this was some big news, but she quickly regained her cool. Yelling and screaming at Tarie would only make it worse.

"I assume it's 17's?" she asked, hoping against hope that it was. 17 would kill the both of them if it wasn't. Tarie nodded her head "It's his"

"Well does 17 know about this?" asked 18, already guessing that her brother had no idea "he had a right to know Tarie"

Tarie's face paled and 18 felt her shudder, "I haven't told him yet, I'm scared of what he'll do to me" she admitted through her tears.

18 shook her head, she knew what she meant, 17 would either be happy and supportive, or he would try and kill her – it was either one extremity or the other, but he still deserved to know. "Tarie, 17 needs to know and if you don't tell him, then I will"

"No 18, you can't tell him" Tarie's voice was filled with alarm, "I'll tell ho, I swear, just give me a little bit more time"

"Ok," 18 replied sceptically "but if you haven't told him by tomorrow night then I'm going to"

"Alright" Tarie snivelled as she wiped at her eyes with her hand.

***

"Radditz!" called Bardok from the bottom of the stairs, "get down here"

"Alright alright alright, I'm coming" he said as he trudged down the stairs

"Where is your brother?" asked Neha, "we are going to be late to the palace"

"Relax mum, we are not going to be late, we still have half an hour. And I'm pretty sure Tules is outside already"

Bardok clapped his huge hands together and grinned "alright then, let's go!"

They all piled into the car and headed off up the big hill that lead to the palace, they were going to be joining the King and Chi-chi for dinner, they seemed to be spending a lot of time at the palace lately.

"Why are we going to the palace? Kakkarot is the only one who has any connections there?" asked Tules as he stared blankly out window of the car. Neha turned to look at him and gave him an angry glare, "we are going because Chi-chi and the King are lovely people and we have been invited to join them. And you will be polite and courteous and on you're best behavior when we are there, and that goes for both of you!" she warned.

"Yes mum" both Radditz and Tules replied in unison.

***

Chi-chi slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans, a fitted black tee shirt and a denim jacket that fell to her knees. She found a pair of black ankle boots and pulled them on. Then she pulled her hair into a messy bun and headed towards the throne room to meet her father.

"Hello daddy" called Chi-chi in a sing song voice as she walked into the throne room, "how are you?"

"I'm fine thank-you dear" replied the King as got out of this throne and walked to the window, looking outside and up to the sky. It had started out as a dreary morning, but by lunchtime, the weather had cleared and become fine. The sun was beginning to set now, and the sky was a lovely shade of pink.

"The Son's should be here soon, should they not?" he asked as he rubbed his beard.

Chi-chi looked down at her watch, "yes, they should. Perhaps we should make our way to the front parlour to wait for them" she suggested

"Ok then, that seems like a good idea, let's go"

The King and his daughter headed down many halls towards the front of the palace, it was quite a long walk, since the palace was so big, but they managed to get there before the Son's arrived.

The front parlour was a small room just off the main entrance to the palace, it was a fairly large room, with peachy colored walls, and lots of big, soft furniture. It was a happy room to be in, and was designed to make visitors to the palace feel more comfortable. It wasn't hard for a visit to the palace to be a very intimidating experience; after all they were the royal family. This room was meant to take some of the sting off meeting the royal family. To make it more an intimate meeting instead of a formal gathering in the throne room.

Chi-chi ran her hands down the length of her tail, smoothing down the soft brown fur growing off the appendage. Sitting down on a cushy, caramel colored leather sofa, she crossed one long leg over the other, checking her watch as she did so.

It was 10 to five.

Casting her glance out the window the pink that had been present in the sky 20 minutes ago had faded, giving way to several shaded of blue she could now see – soon though, they would also fade and only the black sky of night would be seen.

"Ah em" the old man in the doorway cleared his throat as he pushed open the door to the parlor, "Mr. and Mrs. Son have arrived.

"Very well," replied the King "show them through"

A few minutes later, Bardok, Neha, Radditz and Tules all walked through the door

"Well isn't this a lovely little room commented Neha as Chi-chi stood up and shook her hand.

"Yes, we are all quite fond of it. My mother designed and furnished this room, everything you see here is her doing"

Neha took another observing look around, nodding her head in approval, "I can see your mother had very beautiful taste"

"My mother was an amazing woman, nothing she did ever failed" said Chi-chi with a smile "good evening, Tules, Radditz". Both of the boys smiled and nodded.

"Boys!" scolded Bardok, "The princess is speaking to you, be polite and answer her. We didn't raise wild animals with no manners. We raised boys"

Even though they clearly weren't children anymore, Tules was 25 and Radditz was 27. Both were grown men, yet sometimes they had the maturity of 10-year-olds.

Chi-chi smiled at them, "Please, won't you sit down, someone will be in shortly with some snacks". She was baffled. Time and time again she had done to the Son household and each and every time both Radditz and Tules had been perfectly normal and totally themselves. "You know, you don't have to act so uptight. This is nothing more than just a house"

Tules snorted through his noes "Are you kidding Chi-chi, _this is the palace!"_

"But, you come here often" Chi-chi argued

"Yeah, but when we come here it's not usually to eat with the King and his very attractive daughter exclusively" said Radditz

Chi-chi sat down on the sofa between the two boys "You know, it'll help if you don't think about it like that. After all," she stood up and took a few steps back, "it's just dinner" 

***

18 stood behind Tarie with her hands on her shoulders. They were gazing upon the big set of wooden doors that would lead them through to the slave quarters, never had these doors intimidated Tarie as much as they were right now. She knew what, or rather – who, was on the other side of the doors, and she knew what she had to do once she walked through them. It was something she was not looking forward to.

But she couldn't turn back, not now. The first reason being – it had to be done, she had to tell 17 the news that would eventually become unavoidable anyway. And the second thing preventing Tarie from turning and running was the fact that 18 had a good hard grip on her shoulders, she knew 18 had placed them there as a comforting gesture, but to her it felt like iron clamps coming down on her and securing her fate.

In the room, 17 lay on his back, his hands resting behind his head, staring straight up at the ceiling – a million thoughts running through his head. It had been a busy day for him, he had done much more than he was usually used to doing, and right now he was struggling to even keep his eyes open.

He could feel himself on the brink of sleep, but something kept him awake, he could feel, or rather sense Tarie's energy signal hovering just outside the door and he was eager to find out why she was hesitating.

As if on cue, he heard the door being pushed open and the faint muttering of two women coming from the front room. It was only a matter of seconds before the two girls were in his line of sight, though only one of them approached him.

Sitting up and surveying the scene in front of him, he slowly blinked his tired eyes. Tarie was slowly, very slowly walking towards him, he smiled warmly at her urging her to come to him. The other woman was none other than his sister, she had stopped at the archway, which lead to this particular part of the complex and was casually leaning against the cold cobblestone arch. Her usually blank expression was however, anything but casual, it was etched with hard lines of concern and worry and that alone alarmed 17.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly and in full seriousness. When Tarie didn't answer him, his heart began to beat a little faster and 18 supplied the words that failed to come out of her mouth "Tarie has something to tell you" she said and she walked off.

Once again, 17's eyes rested on Tarie, not knowing what she was going to say. Slowly, she sat herself down on the bed she and 17 shared. She couldn't look 17 in the eyes and she could only manage to give him a weak smile that wasn't very reassuring at all. "What's the matter?" he asked as he took Tarie's cold clammy hands in his own.

"I...um....17...I-I-I-I can't do this" Tarie's chest was heaving as she panted from lack of breath and she leapt off the bed, but before she could even take a single step, 17 was holding onto her wrist and 18 was blocking the doorway.

"Tarie, remember what we talked about" 18 warned Tarie, who was dangerously close to tears. "I remember" she sniveled as she sat back down and 18 once again vanished around the corner. 

"It's ok" soothed 17, having no idea exactly what he was about. Tarie couldn't keep it bottled up inside her any longer, she decided there and then, right at that second, that she was going to tell 17. She looked him in the eye with a look of absolute determination and....

She lost it just as quickly as it had come.

Then the tears came, and 17 had no choice but to bundle Tarie up in his arms and hold her, gently kissing the top of her head, he whispered sweet little nothings into her ear until she managed to find her voice again.

"You wanna talk about it now?" 17 asked as he wiped the reaming tears of Tarie's cheeks.

"Please don't be mad 17" she pleaded. 17 blinked, what was there to be mad about?

"Talk to me Tarie" he urged.

"I think I'm....well I think _we_ might be pregnant" she whispered, her confession was to emotionally draining for her voice to be any more audible.

17's face paled to the point where it resembled a piece of paper "What?" he asked, "You've got to be kidding me right"

Tarie shot 17 piercing look with her stunning green eyes "Does it look like I'm kidding you?"   

17 couldn't believe what he was hearing – this was not what he had expected, at all. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't happen, not to him, to Tarie. They couldn't raise a child, especially in these type of living conditions, it just wasn't feasible.

"We can't keep it" the words came out of 17's mouth before he had a chance to think through the impact of his words.

"Well what other choices do we have?" Tarie cried, her voice cracked and broken from the tears.

"I don't know, but we have to come up with something!" 17 threaded his hands through his jet-black hair and pulled at it as hard as he could.

In the next room, 18 closed her eyes and let out a long sigh – she hated having to be the one to put them through this, but it needed to be done and she wasn't one to put things off until another day. She had learned along time ago to live for the here and now and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She was sitting cross-legged on Nison's bed, clutching his limp pillow in a bear hug. She knew what Tarie was going through, growing up in the Harem, she saw many a girl fall pregnant. Of course, the King would not tolerate girls who were less than physically perfect in his Harem, and pregnant girls were far from perfect. Add that with the fact that the King was not a very humane man, and you got the result. When girls in the Harem got pregnant, that was it, they were booted out on the streets with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, left to fend for themselves. 18 thanked her lucky stars that it wasn't her.

She was snapped out of her thoughts of the past by someone waving their hand across her line of sight, "Hello 18, are you in there?" it was Nison

She blinked "Yeah, what?" she asked. Nison laughed loudly and perched himself next to 18, "What's going on in there?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious as he pointed into the next room.

"You don't wanna know, and I don't wanna tell you" was 18's reply

"Oh, so it's one of _those_ situations"

18 raised an eyebrow and nodded in the affirmative, "Uh-huh"

Suddenly 17 came storming out of the room, 18 only caught a glimpse of her brother before he disappeared out the door, but he looked pissed, like a kind of white hot fury had washed over him. He could quiet possibly be a very dangerous man right now. "Nison, follow him" 18 ordered, her tone deadly serious. In a flash, Nison was gone.

18 cast her eyes in the other direction, Tarie was standing there looking deathly pale, her hands clasped across her chest and her whole body quivering. There were very obvious tearstains streaking down her cheeks and fresh tears were following the path their predecessors had made. 

18 patted the spot on the bed beside her and in one swift movement Tarie was besides her sobbing like a child.

"He hates me!" she cried "he hates me and he hates our baby"

18 rolled her eyes, she wasn't really the time of person to expect sympathy from "That's nonsense. I know my brother and he just needs time to cool off. It's a big shock for him"

"And you think it's not a shock for me?" Tarie snapped, causing 18 to jump in shock. She thought for a few seconds before she replied "Of course it is, but look at it from his perspective. He's only 19 – still a child himself, and before you go and tell me that you are in exactly the same situation, I already know," she stopped to take a breath "You were born with maternal instincts, all women are. But 17...well he knows nothing of how to father a baby, we never had a father. He's confused and scared and shocked. Just give him some time ok. Nison's with him now, so you don't have to worry about him doing anything stupid, and I'll talk to him later"

Tarie took a few deep shuddering breaths and looked at 18 through bright green eyes, made even shinier with tears, "Thank-you" she whispered as her heavy eyelids closed.

***

A/N; Oooooooh, things are starting to heat up. What's going to happen next? Find out in the next chapter of A.T.Y.K.

P.S Please review!

~D.B


	24. Friendships

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own DBZ…..NOT!

A/N: Ok I finally have a new chapter up, I understand if you all want to flame me from here to the middle of next week for the lateness of this, but I have really put a lot of time and effort into this chapter to try and make it good. I only have 12 school days left until I'm on a 10 week holiday, so hopefully I'll be able to get a lot more writing done then! ~D.B

This chapter is dedicated to xXEvil OneXx. Thanks for being such a great buddy to me! Hope you enjoy your special chappie.

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 23**

It was late, or was it early. Out in the vast nothingness of space it was too hard to tell. Sure, the clocks on the walls and the watches on their wrists told them it was almost 6 in the morning, but how reliable were they. Who was to know if someone had tampered with the clock, of the magnetic fields of space had messed with the mechanisms in their watches while they were trying to catch up on their precious sleep.

They were warriors, and as warriors, they had been trained to often go for days without sleep. But this was different, this lack of sleep wasn't battle induced. This was because their were no cues of light and dark out here, no way to tell whether it was day or night, to wake up or go to sleep.

And when they only had a matter of hours until they would be touching down on a strange new planet, sleep was something they all so desperately needed.

But of course, there would always be some, who no matter how skewed their sleep patterns were, they would always be able to drift off. Kakkarot was one of those people. Since they day they had left Vegeta-sei, nothing about Kakkarot had changed, not in the slightest, and it was strange. He had been thrown into an isolated environment, with 32 other men, it was an environment where one could not do as they please whenever and however they wanted. You ate when you were told, slept when you were told, bathed when you were told, it was something that anyone would clearly need to adapt to, and that involved changing yourself. Yet, Kakkarot hadn't, they had been in space for almost 3 days now, and Kakkarot was still exactly the same man he had been when they boarded the ship.

It really was quite astounding.

Tearing his gaze away from the little porthole that someone had the audacity to call a window, Krillen slowly blinked and rubbed at his sleep-deprived eyes. He was tired beyond all belief, yet it was pointless trying to get to bed now, when in half an hour the lights would switch on, Nappa's voice – which shouldn't have to be listened to so early in the morning, would boom over the intercom announcing that breakfast was ready. It was about then that the chaos would begin. All of a sudden, 32 Sayians who had been sleeping only minutes earlier, would all suddenly shoot out of bed and scramble over each other in a near desperate attempt to get to the dining hall for a meal that was so poorly cooked that it wasn't worth eating anyway.

Blinking again, Krillen shifted his weight in the chair and gazed down at the rather thick booklet in his cold hands. 

The only things on the front cover were the words Mission 46541, typed in big black letters at the top, and Krillens name written in blue ink at the bottom.

Could it really be true, that in all the years, the Sayians had really carried out over 46 thousand missions? Conquered and destroyed more than 46 thousand planets. Goodness, the death toll would be in the billions! All those lives for Frieza, well not anymore. Krillen shuddered, he knew it was supposed to be the Sayian way to live for blood and gore. To relish in the fact they could take many hundreds of lives with nothing more than a slight fluctuation of their natural living energy, which over a time span they had learnt to manipulate. But Krillen wasn't like that, he had lost count of how many stories there had been on him in tabloids and newspapers about his dispassion for what the Sayian race was known for. God knows how many rumors or 'theories' there had been claiming that 'this is way Price Krillen doesn't fight', that in the end Krillen had just given up denying them and he just ignored them all together. The fact of the matter was, plain and simple, that Krillen just didn't like fighting, his mother had been the same way and no one ever chastised her for it.

Suddenly, Krillen could hear footsteps on the cool metal floor behind him, quickly turning around, he smiled when he saw his best friend in the whole world – save 18 of course, and he was holding a box wrapped in gold paper. Krillen knew what it was, it was the present from Chi-chi.

"Krillen," Kakkarot said in a tone of voice Krillen had never heard before, he sounded on the verge of tears "Mind if I sit with you?"

Without speaking, only giving a warm smile, Krillen swung his arm out in front of him motioning to the empty chair next to him. Kakkarot smiled a smile of relief, as if he had been thinking that for some reason Krillen wouldn't want him around, and he sat down.

"Morning" Krillen greeted, even his voice sounded strained and fatigued.

Kakkarot didn't reply, he was totally absorbed in the small gift in his hands, playing with the red bow, and fingering the soft, slippery, shiny gold paper. "Should I open it?" he asked

"Of course you should, my sister gave it to you for a reason" said Krillen through a yawn as he turned his gaze, once again, to the ever present blackness of space.

***

It had been a weird night to say the least. Tarie had fallen asleep where she lay, in Nison's bed, and no one had dared to wake her. When Nison had come back with a calmed down 17, he had found he had nowhere to sleep. After quiet a lot of arguing between Nison and the twins over who was going to sleep where, it was decided that 17 would sleep in his own bed – and he refused to share with a man. Which left 18 to share with Nison, and it was an experience to say the least.

18 had shared the bed with Krillen a few times, but Nison was definitely not Krillen – and sleeping next to him wasn't something she had particularly enjoyed. He snored, hogged the blanket, took up over half of the bed and worst off all spent half the night mumbling things to himself. For about the first time ever, 18 was glad when the sun began to rise. She made a vow to herself right then and there as she lay on the tiny portion of the already small single bed that Nison was taking over.

She was never, ever going to spend another night in bed next to Nison – ever!

Next to her, 17 slowly became aware of things around him, he was waking up. Grumbling and pulling the blanket up over his head he rolled over, now he was facing towards 18.

"17, are you awake?" 18 asked, as she reached out and poked him in the arm.

"What do you want 18?" he groaned

"Nothing" she replied vaguely, knowing full well it would annoy him.

Clenching his eyes shut tighter for a second, he sat straight up in his bed. 18 was smiling up at him innocently, 17 smirked at her at threw his pillow at his sisters head. But just at the last moment, 18 sat up to, and the pillow collided right with Nison's head. Both twins burst into a fit of laughter, which woke Nison up.

"Morning sunshine" 17 greeted him.

"Yeah, whatever" replied Nison sleepily as he stood up and wandered out the room.

Finally 18 had her bed back, and she took full advantage of it. She wrapped the blanket right around herself, laid in the dead center of the bed and let out a content sigh. But the use of her bed was short lived, because a few minutes later, Tarie walked into the room, and she looked shocking. She was pale, had bags under her eyes and she looked like she had just thrown up.

17 took one look at her and opened his arms up wide, a look of relief washed over her features and she proceeded right to him, where he wrapped her in a big hug.

18 suddenly felt very uncomfortable; she rolled away from the embracing couple. Then it hit her.

She missed Krillen.

She sat up and tried not to look in the direction of her brother, but it was hard and suddenly she felt herself fighting against tears. Inside, she cursed herself, she hated tears, despised them, loathed them. Tears brought pain, and pain was not something 18 dealt with well.

"18 are you ok?" she heard 17 call from beside her.

"Yeah," replied 18 weakly as she stood up, dabbing at the corner of her eyes "yeah, I'm fine", and with that, she left the room.

When she arrived upstairs, it was only 8.45. Far too early to begin work, Chi-chi hated it when she did anything before at least 9. To 18, there seemed only one obvious place to go.

Unlocking the door to Krillen's room, she stepped inside and sighed deeply. It was the first time she had come in here unaccompanied and to her, it was like stepping in here for the first time. She took a real look at everything, absorbing every little detail of this room. Inhaling deeply she took in the scent of him. She remembered the gifts she had seen, but at the moment, she had no real desire to open them, right now she wanted to be remembering Krillen – her Krillen.

Everything in the room reminded her of him, and it brought a smile to her lips and tears to her eyes. It was hard to believe that they had spent all of their teenage years together in this palace – yet never had they met. But that was something for which 18 was grateful, she had grown up in the harem, and if Krillen had of been the type of man to visit the harem, then he wasn't the type of man she wanted to know.

She flung open the doors to his wardrobe and gazed lovingly upon every last item in there, not leaving one little thing unseen by her ever observant, crystal blue eyes. Reaching out, she ran her fingers down the velvety exterior of a deep red cloak, then down the silky soft lining that covered the other side. She noted that the cloak was covered in dust, it clung to the thick velvet, it obviously hadn't been worn for a very long time – and besides, it looked like it would only fit a small child anyway.

18 shut the closet door and sat down on Krillens bed, she was surrounded by gifts for her, both large and small. Picking one up she studied it. The box was about as big as her hand and wrapped in pale yellow paper. Gently tugging and the tape, she pulled the paper from the box. Underneath the paper, was an ordinary cardboard box, nothing special of fancy about it. 18 was a little nervous about opening the box – who knew what might be inside. She put the box down, she wasn't ready to open it just yet.

Looking across, 18's eyes laid rest on the alarm clock, it was 8.55.

Sighing and standing up, 18 left Krillens room and headed towards his sisters. A horrible sense of despair washing over her as she did.

***

Chi-chi sat alone in the dining hall waiting for the Queen and her father. She tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the dark table. Looking across the room she eyed the 3 women surrounding the silver tray on wheels, for some strange reason she felt uncomfortable around them

_'Where is my father?'_ she thought to herself as she shifted her gaze from the women to the door. 

She sat in silence for a few more minutes. Eventually her father and the Queen did arrive.

"Good morning daddy, Kahlia. How are you this morning?" she asked

"Fine thank-you darling, and you?"

"Good".

Breakfast was quickly served, and the room was filled with the sounds of silverware clattering with china and the happy chitchat of the 3 royals at the table. It was the last meal the King and Chi-chi would be sharing with the Queen, for she was leaving for her home planet at 10am, and it was already 9. Chi-chi looked up at the Queen and smiled, she was sitting where Krillen usually sat. Why did she have to sit there of all places? But she did look exceptionally beautiful. Her back was facing the big window, and the morning sunlight was creating a golden aurora around her. Her pale pink hair was reflecting in the light and her long silky purple dress shone beautifully

"Have you enjoyed your time with us?" asked Chi-chi as she stabbed at her food with the fork

"Oh yes, I already plan on coming back for a more social visit sometime towards the end of the year. That is of course, if it's ok with your father"

The King looked up and smiled broadly, "we would love to have you back again. Wouldn't we Chi-chi". Chi-chi nodded eagerly and promptly swallowed the food that was in her mouth so she could reply "I think I speak on behalf of both my brothers and myself when I say you are more than welcome on our planet anytime" she said

The Queen nodded humbly "Thank-you" she said

***

Some time later that day, around lunchtime, 18 was still hard at work in Chi-chi's room, she had been left with a particularly long and grueling list today. It would take hours to finish, and she was so tired, much much more so than usual.

Chi-chi and Bulma sat on Chi-chi's bed talking and laughing very loudly, they had to be loud because 18 could still hear them even through the excruciatingly loud music blaring from the speakers. Yet she dare not to look up at them or even accidentally cast her eyes in their general direction. She'd done that, accidentally of course, and Chi-chi had swiftly kicked her clear to the other side of the room.

Bulma looked down at her watch and sighed, her lunch hour was almost over, it was time to be heading back towards the lab, stretching her arms right up towards the ceiling, she wriggled her fingers and made a loud yawning sound. "I've gotta get back to work Chi" she said as she ran her hands through her long blue hair. Then suddenly a look of faint alarm crossed her face

"What's the matter?" asked Chi-chi as she turned down the volume of the music.

"I just remembered I need to find a volunteer to try my new formula on" Bulma explained as she rubbed at her temples.

Chi-chi's glace swept the room and landed on 18 "take her," she said "if you kill her it doesn't matter anyway, it's not like I really need her" she said it as if she were casually talking about an old shoe or something or pretty much no value.

Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked at the scraggly looking young girl on the floor "you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. You're going to be late"

Bulma shrugged her shoulders, it sure made her day easier. "Ok"

Chi-chi grinned slyly at Bulma then she strode over to 18.

_'Great'_ 18 thought to herself as Chi-chi's boots fell into her line of vision. She was going to be a test dummy. 

"18 get up, I assume you know where you're going?"

"Yes Ma'am" she replied as she stood up and wiped her wet hands on her skirt.

18 trailed Bulma by a few steps, she didn't really know where Bulma was taking her or if she was going to make it out alive – her heart was pounding in her chest. They arrived at the research wing of the palace, 18 had spent a very limited amount of time here. Bulma stopped out the front of a door and produced a key from the pocket of her jeans.

Stepping inside, Bulma flicked on the light, illuminating the big high tech room with a kind of fluorescent white light. She set about doing her usual thing, turning on the radio, straightening her desk. Then she noticed that 18 was still standing out in the hall

"It's ok," she called, "you can come in. I don't bite"

She watched as 18 cautiously took a small step into the room. Bulma shook her head and laughed, "I'm not Chi-chi you know, I'm not going to hurt you" she said as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

18 blinked, then blinked again, was it possible Bulma was being nice to her. She took a few more steps into the room and sat down in a chair on the other side of Bulma's big desk. Bulma positioned herself at the desk and pulled open one of the many draws. She produced a small beaker that contained about a cup full of pale green liquid.

"I don't suppose you know what this is?" she asked as she carefully removed the lid.

"No"

"That's ok" said Bulma. She pulled an ordinary drinking glass out from under her desk and tipped the green mixture into it, then she pushed it across the desk towards 18. "If it works, it should boost your immune system, plus help you body to heal any existing cuts or scrapes you might have. 18 looked down at her hands, then at her arms and finally her exposed bare legs, she was covered in cuts and sores.

"Does it have any side effects?" she asked warily

"That's what we're trying to find out," replied Bulma "before you drink that, I need you to come over here".

Bulma walked over to a type of hospital bed and told 18 to lay down on it, she did as she was told. Next Bulma turned on several machines, filling the room with a gentle humming sound. "Now, I just need to take a quick blood sample ok" said Bulma, and she gently poked the needle into 18's arm before she even had a chance to reply.

18 shut her eyes and tried to avert her thoughts, she hoped that Bulma hadn't noticed how much she was shaking – 18 hated this, she didn't trust Bulma and she wanted to get out of here.

"There we go, all done," said Bulma "Now, can you please drink the medicine?"

***

"Could all personnel report to the briefing room immediately" called Nappa over the intercom. Krillen pulled his armor over his head and made sure it was held in place firmly against his chest.

"C'mon Krillen, Nappa's waiting" called Kakkarot from across the room. Krillen laughed and sat down on his bed so he could pull his boots on "Relax Kakkarot, I'm done" replied Krillen and the two of them headed down the hall.

As it so happened they weren't late, in fact, they we some of the first people in the room. They sat down and watched as more and more men filed into the room.

"Silence!". That was all it took for any existing noise to cease, the room became void of any noise at all, except for the voice of Nappa of course.

"All right men, in approximately 15 minutes we will be touching down on Bindoon, we will be stationed there for about 3 hours, in which you will be free to walk around the city and take in something other than the ship. However, if you are not back within the allocated time frame there will be hell to pay!" he warned

When the ship landed Kakkarot and Krillen were some of the first off the ship, they were both desperate to get outside, breathe in some fresh air and look at something other than cold metallic walls.

"Wow" Kakkarot looked around wide eyes, taking everything in. It was all so vastly different from Vegeta-sei. There were more people and everything was so much bigger, busier, brighter. It was a beautiful day, the sky was bright blue and there was not a cloud in sight. People were bustling around everywhere, enjoying their day and Krillen thought he could faintly hear music off in the distance

Kakkarot's ultra sensitive nose picked up on something "Krillen, I smell food. C'mon lets go"

"Prince Vegeta, aren't you going to step outside, take in the sights?" Nappa asked as he approached Vegeta. He was sitting slumped in his seat in the briefing room. In response to Vegeta's question, he only shrugged his shoulder.

Nappa, sensing that the prince might like to be alone asked, "Would you like some time to yourself"

Vegeta nodded in reply "yes"

He heard Nappa leave the room, but paid no heed to it. His mind was full of thoughts right now – thoughts of what was going on around him, what he was about to face and how it was going to effect him. But most of all, he was thinking about the prospect of him not returning to his home planet. He had only been gone for 3 days and already it seemed like a lifetime had passed. This morning it had finally dawned on him – he might never see Vegeta-sei again, and if he never returned home, then he would never see the woman.

Stupid woman, she was taking over his every thought. But why? He had no feeling for her, he wasn't like his sister, he didn't fall in love. Did he? No, he had more important things to worry about, things that needed his concentration more than the woman, and her soft blue hair, supple creamy skin, and intoxicatingly pleasant smell. Wait! He was doing it again, he was doing exactly what he didn't want to.

Standing up, he raked his hands through his hair, maybe he did need to go outside for a while.

***

"All right 18, it's been 10 minutes since you took the medicine, tell me, how do you feel?" asked Bulma as she pressed pen to paper, ready to write.

18 let her head sink into the pillow as she thought. Bulma had refused to let her get off the bed in case something in the medicine had disagreed with something in 18. "I feel fine"

"No nausea, fatigue, dizziness or lack or memory?"

"None"

"Any headaches, itchiness, muscle aches or spasms?"

"No"

"And can you tell me what you thought of the taste of the medicine?"

"It tasted like crap" 18 was blunt and to the point.

Bulma laughed, "well I'm gonna have to work on that then". She put the clipboard down on the table beside her and crossed one leg over the other. "Tell me 18, you seem nice enough, how'd you end up working for Chi-chi?"

"Just bad luck I suppose" 18 replied, she surprised herself by doing so, she wasn't really the type of girl to open up to people easily. She could feel the cold metal of Krillens key resting against her skin under her shirt and she smiled.

Bulma gave 18 a sympathetic smile and noticed that if she had a little more meat on her she would be an extremely beautiful girl, Bulma could tell she was sick and from where she lived, she was surprised the poor girl wasn't dead already. She felt sorry for 18, she knew how bad Chi-chi treated her. But there was something else about this girl that struck her, something other than her sickening thinness and her shimmering crystal blue eyes, this girl had no tail.

"18, why don't you have a tail?" she asked.

18 blinked, then let her head roll to one side so she could look at Bulma "Why is your tail blue" she asked, with a sort of unpleasantness in her voice.

It was obvious to Bulma that 18 didn't want to talk about this particular topic, so she tried something else "How old are you?"

"I'm 19" she answered.

"I'm 21"

Bulma continued her friendly chit-chat with 18 for about another half an hour, although it was mostly a one sided conversation since 18 wasn't to willing to talk. But Bulma was a smart woman, and she quickly came to realize that 18 wasn't just a slave, she was someone who needed help and a few good friends. Throughout their talk, 18 accidentally dropped a few hints, and by adding them together, Bulma came to understand that there was someone special in 18's life and that he meant an awful lot to her.

"Well, I don't think that medicine is going to affect you. You can leave if you want" said Bulma as she stood up, "if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask".

Something clicked inside 18's brain, there was something she needed. "Actually," she began "We think one of my friends might be.... you know...expecting and I was wondering if there was anyway you could find out for sure?" she asked as she rubbed sleepily at her eyes.

"Yeah, of course I can find out. Just bring your friend right on up and..."

"Actually," 18 cut in "Could you come down to us, a little later on?" she asked.

Bulma thought for a few minutes. Did she really want to go down to the slave quarters? Not really, but she thought she owed it to 18 to do the right thing, "Ok, I'll be down a little later on"

***

"Ok troops, for many of you, if not all of you, this will be your first experience on a Sayian spaceship, and let me tell you now, just because you haven't gotten used to the Sayian way of doing things doesn't mean I, or any of the other commanding officers of this ship are going to be going easy on you." Nappa boomed to the room full of unfamiliar faces. While the Sayian half of the squad had been granted permission to roam the streets of this strange and unfamiliar city, the troops who were native to this planet had been expected to attend an in depth briefing of the mission and all the rules, regulations and information regarding it.

Towards the end of the meeting, when Nappa was outlining the rules of the ship, Sayians began to file in and pass the briefing room, to which the door was wide open. Some of them stopped ad peered in the door, to catch a glimpse of their new peers, while others didn't even give them a second thought, not even turning their heads to look at them.

When Krillen and Kakkarot returned from their little outing, both had several shopping bags with them, and Kakkarot was holding a large candy bar. They both stopped mid conversation to look into the room, but they only got a glimpse of the new guys before they were ushered along by one of their commanders.

"Guess we'll have to wait a bit to meet them then" said Kakkarot as he and Krillen rounded the corner and walked into their bedroom. They sat down on Krillens bed and Kakkarot empties the entire contents of one of his bags, half of it spilled onto the floor, but Kakkarot didn't mind, he just scooped the candy up into his hands and shoveled it back into the bag, it was wrapped after all.

"Kakkarot, if my brother or Nappa sees that candy, you do realize what they'll do to you right?" Krillen asked as he lay back against the pillow and looked at the bottom of the bunk on top of him, which belonged to Kakkarot.

"No," replied Kakkarot through a mouthful of half chewed candy "what?"

Krillen rolled his eyes and shook his head "They'll take it all off you, and probably leave you on Namek to rot". The last part of his statement obviously wasn't true, but Kakkarot could be a bit thick in the head at times. His eyes grew wide and a look of pure shock washed over his face "You really think they'll leave me on Namek?" he asked

Krillen had to laugh "No, but they will take all that chocolate off you if you don't hide it from them".

About 10 minutes later, Kakkarot was stuffing the last of his supply of candy in his duffel bag and Krillen was watching on in great amusement. He could hear voices faintly echoing off the walls and he knew that in a matter of seconds he would be meeting some of the new guys. There were 3 lots of sleeping quarters, each equipped with beds showers and toilets. Krillen looked towards the open door, and just as he did so, about 10 men walked through. They all looked like good friends and were laughing boisterously.

The group took a few steps into the room and realized that they needed some help. One of them appointed themselves as a spokesperson and rubbed nervously at the back of his head as he stepped toward Kakkarot and Krillen.

"Um, we're the new guys," he said, stating the obvious "I don't suppose you can tell us which bed are still available can you?"

Krillen smiled brightly at the men and stood up smiled brightly at the men. "Hi, I'm Krillen," he introduced himself, his tail flicking back and fourth happily as he spoke "You can take any of these bed" he pointed to 6 sets of bunks in various part of the room.

"Nice to meet you Krillen. The names Ari" A man with light blue hair introduced himself.

"I'm Kakkarot" Kakkarot piped up as he stuffed a piece of chocolate into his mouth. Ari looked at Kakkarot and raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure it's a good thing to eat candy right now?" he asked.

Krillen laughed again "Don't mind Kakkarot, he's a lean mean eating machine"

Ari laughed out loud and gave Krillen a big bright smile.

Krillen liked this Ari character; he had a bright personality and a great sense of humor. He could tell straight away they were going to get along famously, and in an environment like this. Who couldn't use a few more friends?

***

A/N: Well what did you think, Good, bad? Tell me in a review! Hopefully an update will be soon ~D.B


	25. The Legend Of The Dragonballs

Disclaimer; Ok you know the drill by now, I don't own DBZ

A/N; I am really sorry about my lack of updates, but it is soooooo close to the end of school now that I can count the remaining days on one hand. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, I put lots of hard work into it. I'll really try to update sooner from now on ok. ~D.B

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 24**

Bulma rested her head in her hands and entwined her fingers in her long cerulean hair. So what if it wasn't normal for Sayians to have blue hair, she liked it and that was all that mattered. Chi-chi's slave had blonde hair and that wasn't normal. Sighing, Bulma let her eyes drift over to the clock that was perched in the corner of her big desk, it was 5.55, still 5 minutes till she was officially allowed to stop working, though she had done hardly anything all day. Usually Bulma's days consisted of drifting around the palace performing repairs and upgrades, making sure the palaces computers were in smooth running order. Of course she also spent a large amount of time in the lab carrying out experiments and creating new gadgets and gizmos. She loved her work, but sometimes she just felt she was wasting her life trapped in a lab all day, sure she was living the sweet life. In the royal palace, the princess her best friend. She had grown up getting everything she had ever wanted, but she still felt like she was missing out.

For instance, she had never ever attended a real school, as a child Bulma had attended special classes in the palace for the King's children and the children of the Kings soldiers and employees of the palace. Maybe that was why Bulma had always longed for something more in her life, something that would make her sit up and say wow.

Sometime during her mid to late teenage years, she had discovered that boys could give her the thrill she sought, and she also found that they were more than willing to give it to her. She had taken full advantage of the undeniable beauty she had been graced with and gotten in more than a few dangerous situations. But that was really only where her problems began because she liked that danger. She thrived on the thrill of not knowing what was going to happen next. Her life had taken a wild turn, a turn for the worst.

Then she met the man of her dreams, but he quickly turned out to be her worst nightmare. He went by the name of Yumcha, and right from the very first second she laid eyes on him, a fire had ignited within her, he had trouble written all over him and Bulma was becoming increasingly addicted to trouble. She was only 17 years old on that night when she met Yumcha, and in many ways, it was the beginning of the end of her life.

Blinking herself back into reality, Bulma leaned back in her big leather seat she stretched her arms up towards the ceiling. Some time during her musings, the hour of 6 had come and gone, Bulma was free to leave. But she had one more stop to make before she could head home and to the delicious warmth of her bed.

Resting beside Bulma's desk was a rather large black bag, letting out a loud sigh, Bulma picked up the bag and quickly made her way towards the door.

***

18 pushed open the big heavy doors to the slave quarters and slipped inside. She had had an absolute exhausting day, and she was practically asleep before she even made it halfway across the first room.

"17" she called out, hoping her brother was somewhere in the complex. Mere seconds later, 17 walked in through the archway on the opposite side of the room, he took one look at his sister and quickly rushed to her side. "Are you ok?" he asked, his voice just oozing with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just exhausted that's all" she said. She let 17 support most of her body weight as he helped her to her bed and sat her down. 18 rested her head against the pillow, it was pure bliss, then just as she was on the brink of sleep, she remembered she had something to tell 17.

"17," she began "I made an arrangement for someone to come and give Tarie a check up tonight" she said.

"What?" asked 17, "why?"

"Well I had the chance and I thought that it might be nice. Bulma can tell you once and for all weather Tarie is pregnant or not, and she can also make sure that she is physically able to have a child or not" 18 replied.

"What do you mean physically able?" 17 asked skeptically.

18 sat up and looked at her brother with dead serious eyes. "Think about it 17. None of us are at all healthy; carrying a child might just be too much for Taries body to handle and what if she does have the baby 17. Then what? You don't honestly think you could raise a tiny child in here do you, it would surely die within hours"

17's face paled and his eyes seemed to sink back into their sockets. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 18 – his own sister, his flesh and blood, was telling him to kill his own child, to abort the pregnancy. Well he wasn't going to listen to her. He could tell that Tarie really was pregnant, he didn't need a doctor to tell him that, and he already loved his child and there was no way he was going to entertain the thought of killing his son or daughter for even a second.

He looked at 18 with absolute contempt; it wasn't often he felt like he truly hated his sister, but now he did, she obviously didn't know what it was like to love someone.

18 felt horrible, but someone had to state the facts, Tarie was small, fragile and delicate, there was no way her body would be able to handle pregnancy and even if she did manage to somehow make it through the 10 month gestation period, she would surely die during the labor. It was a horrible thing to think about, but that was the cold hard truth.

"Why so icy?" a calm female voice echoed through the almost empty room. The twins looked up at the newest arrival, effectively putting a temporary end to their feud.

"Tarie" 18 smiled weakly at her friend, "hi"

17 opened his arms wide and Tarie quickly accepted the invitation. "What's going on in here?" she asked, "Am I interrupting?"

17 placed a loving kiss on her forehead and smiled warmly at her "not at all. 18 and I were just talking. How are you feeling?" he asked as he stroked her long brown hair

"Fine"

"Tarie, I hope you don't mind, but someone is coming down here to check up on you" 18 informed her friend.

"What," Tarie sat up a little. "Who, why?" she asked.

"Her names Bulma, she works here in the palace. She's just coming to check up on you and the baby"

"Oh…ok" replied Tarie absent-mindedly.

Not even 5 minutes had passed and the only 3 people in the entire complex heard the door creak open, then a happy, chirpy voice that could not possibly belong to one of them "Hello. Anyone home?"

18 stood up and dragged herself across the room, "Bulma," she greeted, "Follow me".

Bulma looked around the room in disgust. Sayians actually lived in here? "This is Tarie, Tarie this is Bulma. Bulma this is my brother 17, 17 Bulma"18 introduced everyone as she resumed her position on her bed.

Taking another step towards the bed, Bulma put her black bag down on the bed and opened it, then she proceed to pull out an assortment of medical equipment that neither 17, 18 or Tarie had ever seen before.

"What are you going to do to me?" asked Tarie nervously, she sought out 17's hand and gripped it tightly

"Relax, I'm only going to give you a simple check up, it should take about 10 minutes" explained Bulma, "now can you please sit forward and breath in and out when I say so?"

18 watched on, only slightly interested, really the only reason she was even here at all was because her bed was. Nison walked into the room then and perched himself next to 18 "hi", for some reason he felt compelled to whisper the words.

"What's up?" 18 asked, equally as quiet.

"Nothing much," he replied "you?"

"Same"

"What's going on here? Tarie sick?"

"No".

Nison yawned and closed his eyes, it had been a hard day, and he was well and truly ready to go to sleep. But for some reason he felt compelled to sit and watch Bulma, maybe it was because she was treating Tarie, who was one of his oldest and dearest friends.

"Hmmm" Bulma ran her hands through her long blue hair, a kind of disturbed expression settled on her features "Ok Tarie, can you please take a deep breath for me?" she asked.

17 could feel Tarie shake with fear as she complied with Bulma and took a slow deep breath. She cast her big green eyes up and looked into 17's crystal blue one, than she mouthed the words 'I'm scared'. 17 rested his head on top of Taries and kissed her, "I know," he whispered "It'll be ok"

Bulma stepped back and was quiet for a few minutes, the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "Well," Bulma finally spoke up "you're pregnant, that's for sure, but…" Bulma trailed off a fell back into deep concentration.

"But what?!" 17 demanded to know, the fury in his voice evident

"But I wouldn't recommend keeping the child. Now before you yell at me, just hear me out. Tarie, you are a very small woman, I just don't know how well you would cope with a pregnancy, and you're also very thin, I highly doubt you have enough nutrients in your body to feed a growing fetus. Really, I'm surprised you've even managed to keep yourself alive" Bulma spoke with a certain compassion in her voice, it was hard to get angry with her when it was so obvious she was only trying to help.

"But…but what if we do keep it, will it be healthy?" asked Tarie timidly

"I really don't know, I'd need to conduct further tests later on in the pregnancy, but honestly, I wouldn't count on it"

18's head hung limply, it was so painful for her to hear this, that her little niece or nephew was almost certain to die or be seriously brain damaged. She didn't want to agree with Bulma, but what else was there she could do. It seemed to be a hopeless situation. Then suddenly a thought struck her.

"Bulma, what if Tarie had somewhere better to stay, somewhere warm and livable. You could supply her with food couldn't you?" she asked.

"I suppose that wouldn't be to hard, but where could we possibly put her?" Bulma mused

18 smiled slyly and pulled the necklace containing the key out from underneath of shirt.

"What's it open?" asked Bulma.

"This is the key to prince Krillens bedroom, he gave it to me before he left for Namek and told me to use it how I see fit. I think he would approve of this idea"

Bulma's jaw dropped, how had 18 possibly managed to get the key to Krillens bedroom? She didn't even know they knew each other. Oh, the things you learn when you only listen.

"Yes, that would work" said Bulma, a wide smile crossing her features.

18 turned to face 17 and Tarie "Well, what do you think. Would you two like to move upstairs?"

"Can we?" asked 17

"Of course you can," piped up Nison "How can you not!"

"What do you say Tar, wanna move upstairs?" 17 asked Tarie as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll do anything for my baby" she replied through a loud yawn.

18 smiled, quite proud of herself for coming up with such a brilliant plan, she would even go as far as to say it was a life saving plan, and it wasn't every day that one came up with a lifesaving plan.

Shortly after that, Bulma left, leaving 17,18, Tarie, Nison and all the others who called this place home to turn in for the night.

"Thank-you 18," said Tarie humbly, " I know how much that room meant to you, I can't imagine how hard it must have been to do that" 

"It was worth it, I don't think I could of lived with myself knowing your baby didn't even have a chance"

17 stood up, walked over to his sister and wrapped his arms around her, "Thank you 18. From the bottom of my heart, thank-you"

18 looked across at her brother, it warmed her heart to know she had given her niece or nephew a shot at life, even if it meant giving up something that meant so much to her "It's ok," she replied honestly "it's fine"

~

Later on that night, well after everyone gone to sleep for the night, 17, 18, Tarie and Nison were still up and awake.

"I wonder what Krillen is doing right now?" 18 though aloud as she wrapped her arms around her pillow.

"Do you think he's on Namek yet?" asked Tarie

"I don't know," she replied, "Nison, what's it like on Namek?"

Nison smiled into the darkness of the night at the thought of his home planet. His background was a weird one; his father was a Sayian while his mother had been Namekian. The Sayians had been sent on a mission to Namek, to scout it for possible extermination and sale later on down the track. Whilst there, Nison's father had not only come across a group of helpless female Nameks, but raped each and every one of them. Out of the entire group, it was Nison mother who fell pregnant

His 'father' had left Namek, far before he even knew he was going to be a father. So from then on Nison had been raised by his mother and step father. They had given him a loving home and a joyful childhood. All through out his childhood years, Nison had assumed this was his family, he paid no heed to the fact that his skin was only slightly green while everyone else was dark. Or that his antennas were shorter than every one else's. It just didn't matter to him, nobody treated him different or chastised him for it, so why should he care.

Then it happened. It was a warm sunny day in the middle of a hot Namekian summer, Nison had been walking through the little village he lived in, on his way home from school with his friends, laughing, running, playing, just enjoying being a kid. To this day it was still one of his most vivid memories.

As soon as he walked into his house he knew something wasn't right, his little baby sister hadn't come running to the door to greet him, there was no happy voices floating from the kitchen and the small house didn't smell like freshly baked cookies.

He had ventured down the hall, towards the bedroom that his mother shared with her husband, only to find a big man, at least 4 times his size and with a tail sitting there, "Hello Nison" he hissed.

Nison had jumped back in fright; he was a healing Namek, not a warrior, and so all his instincts kicked in and told him to run. But it was a futile attempt; he hadn't even made it to the bedroom door before the big burly Sayian had pined him to the floor.

"Who are you!" he had shrieked, "What have you done with my family? Let me go!"

The big man only laughed triumphantly in reply, a boisterous laugh that shook the entire house "Little boy, I'm the only family you have left now. And let me assure you, I'm going to make you wish you were never born"

"Niiiiison" 18 hollered as she waved her hand across his line of sight. This small action caused Nison to be thrust into the hear and now where he really didn't want to be, but would gladly take over reliving the hell of that day.

"I'm sorry 18, what were you saying?" he asked

18 rolled her eyes and flashed him a casual smile, Nison smiled back; she could light up a room with that smile "I was asking you to tell us what it was like on Namek"

"Hehe, oh yeah, of course you were," Nison rubbed the back of his head in a way that clearly signified embarrassment "Well it's been a long time since I've seen my home, I don't remember a lot about it anymore. But I do remember a story that the Guru told me when I was only a boy. It's an old Namekian legend. Would you like to hear it?" he asked. His question was answered by 3 heads eagerly nodding up and down, despite their drowsy state.

 Nison racked his brain trying to remember all the fine details of the story Guru had told him and his friends so long ago, slowly, piece by piece it came back to him, and he began his story.

"It is said that our home land is watched over by a great and powerful guardian. One thousand times bigger than the Planet and able to see and hear everything that is going on at any given time. For millions upon million of years it has been this way. The guardian would lay dormant, hiding, never seen but always seeing. Many a man set out on quests to get even the tiniest glimpse of this beast, for it was is said that the man who has the courage to summon the beast will be granted any one wish that he can possibly think of…" At this point in time, a very skeptical 17 interrupted Nison.

"Wait a minute. You're telling us that just any old Joe can yell at the sky and a big 'guardian' will appear and give them a wish? If that were true wouldn't everyone be doin' it?"

"Well if you let me finish, I'll get to that" replied Nison with a laugh. "Now, where was I? Ah yes, the guardian. According to the legend, the guardian is a huge lizard, with glowing red eyes and a fiercely short temper, his name is Porunga – which in the native Namekian tongue means 'Peace Keeper'…"

"Do you still speak the Namekian language?" asked Tarie quietly, she didn't want to interrupt Nison's captivating story, but she just had to know

"Yes, I do, It's not really something you could forget," he replied. "Now on with the story. The only way to summon Porunga is by collecting small orange glowing spheres that are called Dragonballs. There are said to be 7 Dragonballs scattered across the planet. They could be right under your nose and you might not even know it. The odds of finding even one in your lifetime are astronomical so the chance that anyone would ever be able to gather all 7 of the balls and summon Porunga is a near impossibility. They say that only one man has ever seen the great beast, and that was the man who created the Dragonballs many millennia ago, he was the Grand Elder, but today, he to is only a legend." Nison concluded his story with a sigh.

18 blinked, then blinked again. Nison had told that story with so much passion that she had to believe him, he was so convincing, he made her believe that something as amazing and wonderful as the Dragonballs had to exist "Do you believe the legend, Nison?" she asked.

Nison shook his head up and down "I most certainly do"

Tarie being the inquisitive person she was, had the next question "Have you ever seen a Dragonball?"

"No, well at least I don't think I have, but like I said, you could just pass one by and not even notice"

17 shook his head, "This is stupid, you don't honestly expect us to believe that crap do you?" Tarie crawled up onto his lap and looked him directly in his crystal blue eyes – which were shimmering in the faint glow of the moon, which was faintly illuminating the room, giving it an eerie glow. She pressed her lips to his, causing 18 and Nison to turn away before she spoke to him, "Why shouldn't we believe him?" she asked

"Well because it's stupid" he replied huskily as he planted his lips on Taries again, but she only pushed him away, "Why is it stupid?"

"Think about it"

"I am thinking about it"

"It's just a legend"

"You're no fun 17" Tarie pouted and 18 had to laugh at her friend as she watched her poke fun at her brother.

***

"Hey Krillen, is what I heard true?" asked Ari as he rolled over and ran his hands through his sleep tousled hair.

"I dunno" Krillen groaned, he pulled his pillow from under his head and smothered himself with it. "What did you hear?"

"That you are Prince Vegeta's kid brother"

Under the pillow Krillen moaned to himself, he'd be sure to kill Kakkarot later for telling Ari that "Yeah it's true"

"Than that must make you a prince!" Ari gasped at this latest revelation. Krillen pushed himself up onto one elbow and rested his head in his hand, facing Ari "Yeah," he said sleepily "so?"

"Well why aren't you down the hall with Vegeta, living in style?"

"How do you know it's all style down there?" asked Krillen, but he continued before Ari could reply "I dunno, I could go down there if I wanted, but I don't. I'd rather be down here, I mean; my brother hates me so why waste my time with him. I have friends down here, and I don't like being seen as 'better' than anyone else, I don't see how that's fair. Why should someone be treated better or worse because of the family they were born into?"

"That is so true" Ari agreed, "I got me a wife and two daughters. We're only a middle class family, but we can afford to put bread on the table, we get by. But I suppose the prejudices on my planet isn't as strong as on yours"

Krillen sighed, because what Ari had said was all too true. The class distinctions on Vegeta-sei were almost set in stone. There were peasants, 3rd class families, 2nd class families and 1st class families. The peasants usually earned their living by stealing, or operating carts at the local bazaars. 3rd class Sayians were typically laborers, they spent their days in sweat shops, or down in the mines, they were hard laborers, often constructing buildings or monuments, all for an absolutely measly pay that couldn't even feed one Sayian for week let alone an entire family. Next came the 2nd class citizens, they were usually the people who managed and operated stores, boutiques, services for higher classed people. These Sayians usually got by pretty well; most of them owned their own businesses and didn't have to worry about the crappy government pay. Then there were the first class families, Krillen wasn't exactly sure how they obtained the wealth they did, as he had never seen a member of a first class family do anything. They were just rich for the sake of being rich, and it disgusted him. But the worst part was, the class you were born into, was the class you would die in. Sayian law stated that one was never able to proceed up to any level above that they were born into. Krillen swore to himself that one day he would rule the Kingdom, with 18 by his side, and they would abolish those stupid laws, and give everyone a free chance to achieve anything that they wanted to achieve.

That was his idea of utopia 

Krillen was snapped out of his musing by the sound of Kakkarot yawning loudly on top of him. "Hey, you awake up there?" Krillen asked while he rubbed at his eyes.

"Yeah"

"So Krillen, you got yourself a girl?" asked Ari, continuing on from the conversation they had been having before Krillen had trailed off.

He sighed before he replied, "Well, there is this one girl, her names 18. She's amazing, but there something there, something about her, a wall that I just can't penetrate"

Above him, Kakkarot sat up at gasped, "What?" Krillen asked. Kakkarot's big feet connected with the cold metallic floor with a loud thud "Chi-chi's gift – I never opened it!". 

Several minutes later, Kakkarot sat cross-legged on the floor, holding a simple cardboard box in his hand, and a letter written by Chi-chi in the other. Krillen was watching Kakkarot read, and he saw the tears build up in the corner of his eyes. It was funny, Krillen had never pegged Kakkarot as the type of guy to cry, but here he was, crying.

"Who's Chi-chi?" Ari asked from under the covers

"My sister and his girlfriend" replied Krillen. He sighed, seeing Kakkarot like this only reminded him of 18, and he didn't want to miss her any more than he already did, they had been in space for 5 days now, and already it seemed like an entire lifetime had passed without her.

Yep, it was official now, he was in love with 18 and there was nothing he could do about it. His father had always warned him about women. He had said that once you found the right one for you, the became like an addiction, and you would never ever be able to get enough of them, never be able to quench you undesirable urge to have them. Oh if only his father had any idea how right he was.

***

Bulma sighed and sunk thankfully into her chair. It was only 10.30 in the morning and already she was exhausted. Yet for every one day she had that she was so unbelievably busy she thought she would die, she had two days were she did absolutely nothing, so in an odd kind of way, it even itself out.

Sifting through the cluttered mess on her big desk, she picked up the one that contained today's schedule – and groaned disapprovingly as she read it. She barely had 5 minutes to herself between now, and 9 o'clock tonight. She was going to be around the palace until about 12, then she had to attend a meeting with her father at one of Vegeta-sei's top universities and then she had to go to a press conferences to discuss one of her latest inventions with the media.

And if there was one thing she hated more then anything, it was the media – oh god they gave her the shits.

Her five minutes of free time was just about up, looking at her schedule she smiled a little, she had to run a routine virus scan on the palaces defense system computers, she loved to work with computers, or anything electrical and mechanical for that matter. She just found it all so fascinating. It would only take about half an hour to check the computers, and then she had to hurry to the other end of the palace to undertake some upgrades to the G.R's.

Bulma ran her hands through her long blue hair and sighed, but just as she was about to get up and leave, the phone on her desk began to ring.

"Vegeta-sei palace science department, Bulma Briefs speaking. How many I help you?" she rolled her eyes as she repeated the formal telephone greeting.

"Oh thank-god it's you Bulma, I need your help" It was a woman on the phone and she sounded extremely distressed about something, Bulma could tell as soon as she spoke that she was crying, but she had no idea who she was speaking to.

"Um ok miss, calm down. Now who is this and can you please slowly and carefully tell me what's wrong"

"Bulma, don't you know who this is?" asked the frantic woman

"No ma'am, I'm afraid I don't"

"Bulma dear it's me Cama. I need you help, it's a matter of urgency!"

Bulma sat up in straight attention. Cama, what in the hell did she want? And why did she think Bulma would be willing to help her – her of all people, she was the mother of the most monstrous man on the planet. Yumcha! 

"Bulma, Bulma, are you still there?"

"What do you want Cama?" she asked, any compassion that had existed there before was gone now, leaving nothing but a passionate hatred of the woman who time and time again went to any lengths she could to save her precious son.

"I need your help….well Yumcha needs you help"

Bulma almost laughed, "The day I help your son of a bitch child, is the day you dance on my cold hard grave"

"Please," the desperation in the older woman voice was pitiful "you're the only one who can help, the only one I know who to turn to"

Bulma smirked, Yumcha's life was in her hands, she could either let him die, or toy with him then let him die. Either way, he would suffer.

"Cama. What is wrong with Yumcha exactly?" she asked, her voice calm and smooth now

"I don't know, he's sick. He has a fever, the doctor is worried about him"

Bulma twisted the phone cord around her finger as she though "I won't be able to get there until tomorrow morning at least" she said

"Can't you come sooner?" Cama begged, her voice weak with fear.

"No, sorry, I can't, I either come at about 10.30 tomorrow morning, or I don't come at all" said Bulma, not even bothering to pick up her diary to see if she could reschedule

"Ok I guess we'll see you then" Cama said with a sigh and she hung up the phone.

Bulma leaned back in her chair. Already her mind was going overtime, thinking up the perfect revenge for that lying jerk, Yumcha

***

A/N; Well, what did you all think? If my Namekian information is either really really stupid or ridiculously wrong, well I tried my best to make it sound good. Also, I need to know…do any of you really care if I don't go into huge amounts of detail regarding the battle against Frieza…because it's not all that important to the storyline, and I really suck at writing fight scenes. Your input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. ~D.B


	26. I'll Be Missing You

Disclaimer; I still don't own it. Only a little while till Christmas, and a girl can always hope…..

A/N; Wow, I can't believe I got this chapter out so soon. I'm quite proud of myself, I think this was the second quickest update of the entire fic. Wow, can you believe this, I have been working on this story for over a year! It really doesn't seem like that long. I would also like to thank everyone for the over whelming response I got from the chat chapter, your dedication to this little story continues to overwhelm and flatter me.

Also, if the reviewer kawaiisempai is reading this, would it be possible for you to send me an e-mail at kyliecool87@hotmail.com I received your reviews and would like to send you mail, but you left an anonymous review and I have been unable to get in contact with you.

Ok to everyone…please enjoy this chapter, hopefully the next one will be up just as quickly as this one. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know Chapter 25 

"Right, you got everything?" 18 asked as she stretched her arms up towards the ceiling. Both 17 and Tarie raised an eyebrow, "we don't own anything" 17 replied.

18 rolled her eyes and shook her head. Flashing Tarie and her twin a bright smile she motioned for them to follow her, "Let's go then".

She led them out the slave quarters and all the way up the many levels of the palace until she got to the Royal family's living quarters. She stopped outside a long wide hall with wooden floors and all sorts of expensive furnishings and decorations adorning it.

"Now" she began "the entire families bedrooms are somewhere in this hall, and believe me, it's a long hall. You'll be staying in Krillen's room, the only bad thing about it, is that it's right next to Chi-chi's room so unless you want to be discovered I suggest you try to keep the noise level to a minimum"

18 led them a little further down the hall, until she stopped outside a plain door, which when opened would expose Krillens bedroom. She took the key off from around her neck and slid it into the lock, there was a quiet click then 18 pushed open the door and stepped inside.

17 looked around the room, which was covered in gifts of all shapes and sizes "who are those for?" he asked. 18 blushed and turned away from her brother "they're mine. From Krillen" she said.

"Well are you going to give us the grand tour or what?" asked Tarie as she grabbed hold of 17's hand and squeezed it in anticipation and excitement.

"Um ok," said 18 "well if you look over here you will see a nice big bed for you to sleep in and if you pull back these curtains, not only will a big window and beautiful view be revealed but you will also gain access to this grand balcony" 18 laughed as she gave her friends a stupid description of the room. "And if you follow me, the best surprise of all will be revealed" 18 walked towards the bathroom and pushed the door open with her foot "and you are free to use it when ever and how ever you please"

"18, you don't have to do this you know. I feel guilty taking this from you when it clearly means so much to you". 18 sat down on the bed and motioned for her twin to do the same.

"Your right, it does mean a lot to me, but you know what? Not having it doesn't really bother me. 17, you are my brother and you are so much more important to me than where I sleep. Besides, it won't be so bad down there, there's only a few weeks of winter left, and I've still got Nison to keep me company. Plus now I can steal the blanket off your bed and have it all to myself" she said with a laugh and 17 could tell she truly meant it

"Thank-you" he said and he enveloped 18 in a warm embrace and flashed her a smiled that he saved only for her

"Don't mention it"

***

She was dressed in pink, every bit of clothing that was covering her body – and that wasn't a lot, was pink. She knew how much it turned him on to see her in such a feminine colour, and she also knew that it would kill him to not be able to have her.

And that was Bulma's whole plan – to be dressed to kill.

She was wearing a soft leather mini skirt, which was pink of course, as well as a matching jacket that zipped all the way up the front, and she had left enough cleavage revealed to send any man insane. Her long blue hair was hanging loosely, and spilled down her back and over her shoulders. She had topped her outfit of with a pair of pink-heeled sandals.

Turning to face the mirrors that covered her wardrobe doors she admired her reflection, she looked good and she knew it. Bulma was torn away from her gloating by the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door. She hit the pause button on her C.D player and called for the person to enter.

"Oh gosh, Bulma honey, are you really sure that you should be wearing something like that outside?" Bunny asked as she stepped into the room.

Bulma flashed her mother an innocent smile "it's fine mum, I know what I'm doing"

"Well at least put a jacket on, you'll have every man on the planet ogling you if you go out like that" 

Bulma laughed and picked up her black doctors case "I swear mum, it's fine"

Bunny shook her head; sometimes it was just not worth arguing with that girl, she definitely had her father's stubbornness that was for sure.

"I'll be back later, ok mum" said Bulma, and with a quick peck on the cheek, she left the room

Looking at her watch as she strode down the hall, Bulma swore to herself quietly, she was already late, she was supposed to be on the other side of town at 10.30 and it was already quarter to 11.

***

King Vegeta looked out the window of his bedroom, which was grater than all the rest and let a depressed sigh escape his lips. Turning his gaze he looked at the bed, and at the messy unmade side he slept on, and then the perfectly made side that had been left empty for 8 years now.

The King new what was wrong, he was lonely; he was longing the physical contact he had been missing for so long. Sure, he could visit the harem whenever he wanted to, but it just wasn't the same, the girls there didn't even compare to the love he had once felt for his dear deceased wife Lumie.

But something was happening to the King, and he didn't like it – lately he had found himself thinking less about Lumie and more and more about another female he had recently spent a lot of time with and it scared him, because he didn't want to replace Lumie, he loved her, from the bottom of his heart he loved her. She had been his first love and he didn't want to replace her.

Wiping his brow he went and sat on his bed, letting his head sink into the soft fluffy pillow. He wondered how his boys were doing in space, how far they had made it, how long it would be until they got there and what would happen upon there arrival on Namek.

Before the King realized, 10 minutes passed, sitting up, he rubbed at his sleepy eyes and groaned. He plodded across his room to the big desk, on it was a soft velvet cushion and resting on top of that, his crown. He picked it up and placed it upon his spiky, flame swept hair, then he left for the throne room.

He had never felt any more miserable.

***

Stepping out of her highly overpriced vehicle, Bulma flipped her hair over her shoulder, picked up her bag, took a deep breath and began to walk down a path she hadn't walk for years but was still all to familiar to her. She stopped at the door to collect her thoughs. She was about to come face to face with a man who should rightfully be dead, a man who she had once loved and who had betrayed her, hurt her and left her for dead.

_'Do I really want to do this?'_ Bulma thought to herself as she balled her hand into a fist so she could knock on the door. She quickly answered her own question. _'Of course I do, I've come to far to wuss out now'_. Lifting up her shaking arm, she knocked on the door and took a few steps back. No less than a minute later a small woman with graying hair opened the door.

"You're late"

"At least I showed up". Bulma pushed past the old woman into the dim hall. The small house was in one of the lower class suburbs and was run down, dark and smelly. She could hear police sirens coming from a street somewhere behind her and people yelling in the house next door, it was a very gloomy place to live.

Bulma heard the door click shut and get locked behind her and a familiar sense of despair washed over her, now she was stuck in here, if things got bad would she be able to escape? Could she escape Yumcha again? Would she want to escape Yumcha again? He had sucked her into his dangerous lifestyle before and Bulma feared that he would be able to do it again.

"Where is he?" Bulma asked, then she blinked, the sound of her own voice had surprised her it was shaky and full of doubt. Cama picked up on it and smirked

"Follow me".

Bulma did as she was told and followed the older woman down the narrow hall, and through the small dirty kitchen. She stopped in front of a wooden door that had been left slightly ajar.

"He's in there, I'll be in the living room but I doubt you'll need me" she said and she disappeared out the same door she had come in. Bulma looked up at the door, an uneasy scowl settling on her pretty features, she reached up and gently tapped on the door. There was no reply or even an indication that someone was even on the other side of the door. Everything was quiet, well except for Bulma's heart beat pounding in her ears.

She pushed open the door a little further and poked her head inside. It was dark, but she could just make out a figure on the bed in the corner of the small room, he didn't appear to be moving.

Dead or just sleeping…?

_'He better not be dead'_ Bulma though to herself as she carefully made her way through the mess on the floor to get to the bed, she had reserved the right to finish him off for herself.

"Yumcha" she hissed as she yanked open the blind letting sunlight stream in through the dirty window. No reply what so ever came from Yumcha. Bulma approached his bed and prodded him with her foot, "Yumcha, I know your not dead, get your lazy ass up right now" she demanded in a tone of voice that was anything but nice. This time she was rewarded with a groan and some slight movement, but it still wasn't enough to satisfy her.

"Open you damn eyes and sit up!" she shouted, not really caring who heard her, she had been waiting almost 4 years for her revenge and she was going to get it.

With a great amount of effort Yumcha managed to open his eyes, and with an even bigger effort he managed to push himself into a sitting position. It was only then that Bulma's mood changed from mad and fiery to sweet and kind. She bent down to be level with Yumcha's bed and gently ran her hand through his sweat-dampened hair. Looking to the side table, she laid her eyes on a glass of water and held it to his lips, he graciously drank every last drop from it.

"I hear you're not in very good health Yam baby" she commented as she opened her bag and rummaged through it.

"No," he replied but his voice was weak and lame "but now your hear B it'll be ok. Once I'm better everything will be back to how it used to be, just me and you baby…just me and you"

"Yep, uh-huh, sure" spoke Bulma absent mindedly as she filled a syringe with something blue and pulled on a pair or surgical gloves.

"W-what's in there?" Yumcha asked, eyeing the syringe.

"Don't you worry about that Yam baby, just trust me" Bulma knew he would fall for her act, he was stupid, of course he would believe that Bulma would want him back. He had no idea that what was really inside the syringe would knock him out then slowly and painfully kill him. But before Bulma could inject it into him, she had to leave it to sit for 10 minutes, let the chemicals infuse with each other.

She looked across at Yumcha, it was a pathetic sight to behold, he was scrawny, sweaty and pale. Bulma's mind was running a mile a minute while she tried to figure out what was wrong with him. It couldn't possibly just be the common cold. Pneumonia perhaps? But even that wouldn't get this severe before it killed him. She knew she shouldn't care what it was that was killing him, as long as it was doing its job, but she did. It had being annoying her since the moment she found out he was ill. Delving back into her bag, she produced a stethoscope, a thermometer and an empty syringe.

Yumcha watched Bulma as best he could, his eyes were constantly going in and out of focus making it hard to see anything and his head never seemed to stop spinning. He knew that if he didn't get this help from Bulma then he would surely die within days. But he was not a stupid man, even in his state of near death he realized that what ever Bulma had pumped into that syringe would not make him better, he saw the gleam in her eyes, there was to much pleasure there for her to be planning to help him.

And that only left Yumcha with one option, he had to woo Bulma, win her over and convince her that he would be on her side if she helped him to recover, he had no idea how long he had, if it was a matter of seconds, minutes or hours, but Yumcha was a master of the art of deception, he had been tricking people to get what he wanted for years and years now. So why should this be any different? Bulma meant nothing to him anymore; she was just another pawn in this game he had been born to play. Wasn't she?

Holding the stethoscope against Yumcha's warm skin she listened to his heartbeat, it was fast and irregular looking at her watch she measured his heart beat at about 300 beat a minute, that was amazingly high since the average Sayian usually had about 200 beats a minute in conditions similar to this. The results of the thermometer also shocked her, a normal temperature was 96.4 degrees celsius, but his was sitting on 104. If that rose even 1 or 2 degrees more he would die from overheating alone.

"I'm going to take a blood sample now, ok Yam" said Bulma, her voice just oozing with false innocence. She was enjoying watching him suffer. She rammed the needle into his arm and very roughly pulled up the handle, sucking some dark red blood into the syringe.

"B, what's wrong with me?" Yumcha asked as he reached for Bulma's hand, he felt her flinch when he grabbed it and inwardly laughed.

"I don't know Yam, I just don't know. But it'll all be over for you soon. I promise"

"B, if you make me better, I promise I'll make you happier than you've ever been. I'm a changed man now, I swear I'm on the level now. No more of that illegal bullshit for me, I'm on the straight and narrow. And with you by my side B, I just know I can do it" Yumcha lied through his teeth in an effort to won Bulma over. Of course he wasn't coming clean, he always had been a criminal and he always would be. He was a damn good bad guy, he was both feared and respected in Vegeta-sei's criminal circle and he was not willing to give that up for Bulma or for anyone else.

Bulma wanted to slap him, kick him, inject him with the poison and leave him for dead. But she didn't. She only smiled, nodded and looked at her watch – she still had 5 minutes to wait. Why was time going so damn slow?

Yumcha had begun to drool, he had only just noticed how incredibly hot Bulma looked, dressed from head to toe in the most sensuous colour of all, pink. He wanted to take her right then and there, to have her in her entirety, but that was impossible, he hardly even had the energy to keep his eyes open. All he could do was sit there and fantasize about everything he couldn't have, and in many ways, that was worse than the fact that the reaper would be paying him a visit any day now.

"Bulma" he whispered, "Remember back when it was just us. Remember how much fun we had?" Bulma scowled. "I can bring those fun times back again, give you every thing your heart desires and more. Fulfill all of your wildest dreams like no one else can" he ranted on and on creating a magical fantasy world as he went.

Bulma could feel her heart beating in her chest, 10 minutes had gone past. Why was Yumcha still talking? Why hadn't she injected him with the poison? Her hands were shaking and her palms were sweaty. She had to do it, she had to get her revenge that she'd been waiting so long for. If she walked out of this room, while Yumcha was still breathing then she had failed. Not only would she have failed herself, but everyone else who had ever suffered or fallen at the hands of Yumcha.

Looking into his desperate almost pleading eyes she made the most difficult decision of her young life. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill someone who she had once loved so very very much. Standing up, she felt tears running down her cheeks and without saying a single word to Yumcha, she gathered her things and left.

She had failed.

***

It was a cold day right in the heart of winter. The sky was blue but the air was crisp. The King shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket as he walked. Snow crunching under his feet with every step he took. What he was about to do, was something he had been neglecting for far too long, he felt horrible for falling to visit but it hurt him so much when ever he came here.

Clutching the small offering tighter in his big hands he fell to his knees and clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to hold back the tears all ready brewing behind his closed lids. "I'm sorry," he uttered, his voice sounding pathetic and hollow in his ears.

The King sat solemnly in front of Queen Lumie's grave for quite some time, not knowing quiet what to say to her, what would make up for not visiting for so long. Carefully, as if there was nothing more sacred on his planet, he laid the flowers he was holding across the base of the tombstone. He tried desperately to think of something to say to her, but only one thing came to his mind "I'm sorry" he repeated the same two words over and over and over to the point where it began to hurt in the back of his throat.

"Lumie, forgive me. I…I've betrayed our bond. I feel awful, but I can't help it, I am not in control of my heart" he pleaded for her forgiveness, but when none came, he continued his painful confession. "I think dear Lumie, that I have feelings for someone new, another woman. You never met her, her name is Kahlia. Queen Kahlia. She's not of this planet, instead she rules a race of beings on a planet named Bindoon, they are similar to our fine race, only they rely more on technology than we do. But that's beside the point" the King found he had begun to ramble. He was quiet for a moment as he wiped some tears off his face. He gently ran his big hand over the soft marble tombstone; he read the inscription to himself

Queen Lumie. Devoted wife, loving mother, beloved ruler, and an amazing woman. You will be sorely missed by all of your family, friends and the people of Vegeta-sei. May you rest in peace.

It was only a short inscription, but it was enough. The King let out a depressed sigh and hung his head. What would Lumie be thinking of him and his ways? Would she be mad at him for having eyes for another woman? Or would she be proud of his for finally being able to move on? He just didn't know, and not knowing scared the King. He wanted answers so badly, but that was impossible. You can't have your questions answered from beyond the grave 

***

Krillen was sitting on a soft couch, in a well-furnished room. It reminded him of home. But it wasn't home, he was a long long way from his home and it seemed like he had been gone for an eternity. He sunk further down the soft cushy armchair and closed his eyes, he felt the soft carpet in between his toes and smiled dreamily, his carpet in his bedroom felt just like this carpet did.

All of a sudden Krillen was rudely interrupted from his day dreaming by the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat in front of him. He quickly opened his eyes and sat up straight in his chair.

"What are you doing in here?" Vegeta asked as he sat down in the chair opposite his younger brother

"Why, I'm not allowed now aren't I?" replied Krillen cockily, knowing full well he was allowed. Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair waiting for Krillen to answer his question.

"I guess I just needed some time alone, to think". Vegeta blinked "If you want, I'll go" he said

Now it was Krillens turn to blink, was Vegeta just nice to him? Up here in the total nothingness of space, they had just become closer than they had ever been before.

"No, it's ok. Stay"

"Alright then"

Both of the boys were quiet for some time, they were staring out of the big clear window, gazing at the stars. They seemed so different up close, no more were they sparkling bit of magic that hung in the night sky for dreamers to wish upon. Here the mechanics of the stars twinkling was unraveled; they were no more than balls of hot gas emitting a white-hot energy. No magic involved

The universe really wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Krillen lifted his eyes and they met with the cold onyx eyes of his older brother. It was Krillen who voiced what they were both thinking. "I wonder what's going on at home?"

Vegeta smirked, "I bet Chi-chi is taking full advantage of our absence. Milking every thing she can out of father"

"Of course she will be" agreed Krillen, then he added a sigh

"What?" asked Vegeta in a very monotone voice

"It's just." Krillen stopped and seriously considered what he was about to ask before he asked it, "Don't you miss anyone. Aren't you feeling even the least bit homesick?" he asked. What he got for an answer, he wasn't expecting.

"I don't really miss Vegeta-sei, but I guess there are a few certain people I would like to see again. I know 12 days really isn't a very long time, but still…." He drifted of and shifted his gaze out the window.

Krillen nodded knowingly, "I miss a girl as well"

"What?" Vegeta snapped, "I never said it was the woman I missed"

"Oh come on Vegeta, I wasn't born yesterday. I know you like Bulma…everyone knows you like Bulma"

"I don't like the woman" protested Vegeta. Krillen only raised an eyebrow, just how stupid did Vegeta think he was. Just because hew as only 19, didn't mean he knew nothing.

Vegeta fell into deep thought. Did he really have feelings for the woman? Could it be possible for him, Vegeta, the prince of Sayians, to be in love with the blue haired beauty, and quiet possibly the smartest woman on the planet? Well, he considered her a good friend, and he did enjoy taking her to Kakkarot's ball, she made the night bearable for him. When she had been crushed by the G.R he remembered that he felt scared. Scared for Bulma's life. Did that mean he liked her, he didn't know what love felt like. He didn't know if he had ever experience love before or not.

He looked up to at Krillen, the question on the tip of his tongue, yet he wasn't sure if he should ask or nor. Would Krillen mock him, or want to help. Well there was only one way to find out.

"What does love feel like Krillen?"

Krillen shifted positions in his chair and grinned, "love is like a warm, tingly feeling you get in the pit of your stomach that just makes you want to smile. It's always there, nagging away in the back of your mind, but when you in the same room as her it explodes, and you just feel… right" the words flowed straight from his head and out of his mouth.

Vegeta listened intently to everything Krillen had to say, some of it seemed familiar to him, the feelings Krillen described weren't strong in him, but he did have them. Was he really in love? Or was it just a crush? Thinking back to the day they left for this mission, he remembered the kiss Bulma had given him, it was the most contact he had ever had with her, and he couldn't say he didn't like it.

"So," Vegeta smirked "you got yourself a girl?"

Krillen titled his head back and looked up at the ceiling, a big smile plastered on his face "I think so" he replied.

"What do you mean 'you think so'?"

"Well, we like each other that's for sure, I'm just sure if she's ready for that kind of thing"

"Does she have a name?" asked Vegeta, obviously completely unaware that they were talking about 18

"I don't think she'd appreciate me sharing that. You know her though" 

"Well?"

"No"

"Well as long as you're happy" Vegeta sighed.

"I am" Krillen replied with a happy sigh "I am"

***

"You shouldn't stand to close to the window Tar, it's cold outside" said 17 as he strode across the big room, feeling clean and refreshed. Tarie turned around and flashed him a brilliant smile, "The windows not open stupid" she said.

17 gasped in fake shock as he joined Tarie at the window and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I can't believe 18 did this for us" he said.

"I know. We owe her big now"

17 laughed and kissed the back of Taries head, her clean, tangle free hair smelt delicious. "We do, you're right. I know how much this meant to her. She really likes Krillen"

They were both quiet for a few minutes, gazing out the big windows up at the stars; it was 17 who spoke first. "C'mon", he said unwrapping himself from Tarie and pulling the big curtains across the window, "let's go to bed" Tarie yawned and graciously accepted the offer.

~

Had Tarie been asleep for hours or minutes? Had she even fallen asleep at all? Rolling over, she looked at the clock, it was 20 past 2 in the morning, she should be well and truly asleep. But she could sense something wasn't right, in fact, something felt very very wrong. Sitting up, she nudged 17 lightly in the side.

Nothing happened.

"17" she said in a loud whisper, "wake up!" 17 stirred and rolled over. This time Tarie shoved him a bit harder.

"What's the matter Tar?" he asked, still mostly asleep

"I think something is wrong"

17 sat up and flicked on the bedside table, "what do you mean something is wrong? Are you ok?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"No, I'm fine, it's not me. It's just, I have this feeling 18 isn't ok".

17's eyes lit up, but not in a good way. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, throwing the bed covers off himself he jumped out of the bed and pulled on his tee shirt. Tarie also got out of the bed and put on his skirt, she was already wearing a tee shirt she found in the Krillen's closet.

"I don't know what's wrong with her. Maybe it's nothing. But maybe it's not"

"Well I'm not risking it! Let's go"

***

Green, everything, everywhere was green. As far as the eye could see, it was green. Turning around he saw his friend, in much the same state as he. All the green really was over whelming to both of them.

Where's everyone else? They must be inside already.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to call to Kakkarot, a surging pain shot through his entire body and he fell to his knees gasping for air. Looking up he saw Kakkarot pointing somewhere behind him, he was trying to say something, it looked like he was shouting, but as hard as he tried, all he could focus on was the pain, and not the words coming from Kakkarot's lips.

Krillen knew he had to stand up.

Although when he finally managed to turn around, he wished to god that he hadn't. There, only meters in front of him, with an evil smirk on his thin lips, was the most evil of all evils. The one who had haunted Krillens dreams for longer than he could remember.

Frieza.

He still had is index finger outstretched from the beam he had just emitted, and the look on his face showed that he had enjoyed it immensely.

Without even thinking about what he was doing, young prince Krillen lunged at the tyrannical monster, releasing over 8 years of pent up hurt and anger. For a minute Krillen was able to at least keep Frieza from wiping the floor with him, but Frieza quickly grew board of the games and with a mere Ki increase that Krillen was not expecting, knocked him clear across the open arena and into a big boulder.

"Have you learnt your lesson yet fool?" Frieza hissed, as he stalked over to Krillen, who was pulling himself out of the rock. Wiping a trail of blood from his lip he replied, "I'll never give into you Frieza. I saw what you did to my mother. It's time you find out what true fear is"

Frieza only laughed at him, an evil laugh that sent shivers up Krillens spine. He knew he was in over his head. Casting his glance towards Kakkarot who had been standing at the sidelines of the impromptu battle field, he saw something he hadn't seen for a long time, Kakkarot was standing there, in his fighting stance, ready to do battle if that was what it came to. 

And that was his mistake, because the next thing he knew, all Krillen could hear was Kakkarot screaming his name over and over again "Krillen," he called as he rushed towards him "Krillen, Krillen, Krillen!"

Then the pain set in, and all Krillen knew about the world around him faded away into black. He was going to die, no question. Faintly, he could hear Kakkarot, but even that was fading. He sounded panicked.

"Krillen, Krillen, Krillen!"

~

"Krillen!" 18 sat bolt upright in her bed surrounded by nothing but darkness. She was breathing hard, and a cold sweat covered her entire body.

"18 are you ok?" called a worried voice from somewhere beyond where her vision would allow her to see. But even in her panicked state, 18 knew who it was "Tarie!" she called frantically.

Tarie quickly dropped to 18's bedside and took hold of her hand, "are you alright?"

"I…. I had a dream, it was horrible."

"It's ok now" 18 heard her brother reassure her as he sat down on the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her frail, shaking shoulders.

"Shhhh, it's ok now, it's all over, none of it was real. It was just a dream," Tarie soothed her friend, then she turned her glance to her respective other "17, I think we're ok here, why don't you go back to bed"

"Are you sure? Is that ok sis?". 18 only nodded, so 17 walked off.

Tarie climbed up onto the bed and threw one of her arms across 18's shoulders "Wanna tell me about it?"

"Krillen was there…on Namek… and then Frieza was there, and Krillen tried to stop him, but he couldn't…he just couldn't even though he really really tried and then Frieza killed him. Tarie it was so real, I could almost feel it…smell it"

"It wasn't real though, it was only a dream. Dreams can't hurt you or anyone else" said Tarie, trying her best to reassure 18.

"But what if it wasn't a dream, what if it was a premonition. I don't think I could cope if he didn't come back to me"

"I know what you mean. I'd be lost without your brother. But that's the price you pay for love"

"Love?" 18 asked, her eyes still shiny with tears

"You do love him don't you?" asked Tarie.

18 was quiet for a few minutes as she pondered over this latest revelation. Did she love Krillen? As in really love him. Well, there was no reason why she shouldn't be in love with him, but how did she know what love felt like? She had never been in love. And was Krillen in love with her? 18 though back to the day Krillen had left and she had found that letter for her in his room. Right at this very moment it was safely tucked under her pillow.

Looking up at Tarie she smiled, "I think I do," she replied, "I think I really do"

Tarie smiled back, "That's good. I'm happy for you, I really am. But if you don't mind terribly, I think I'm going to go bed"

"Ok," 18 said through a yawn. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow". She watched Tarie leave the room and a few seconds later she heard the door to the complex creak open and shut again. Rolling over 18 let out a loud sigh and stared out the small slit that was meant to be a window, moonlight was shining through and illuminating a small strip of floor. She knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep tonight, she has been scared stupid by that dream and if she happened to experience that again, she might just soil herself, and that was really that last thing she needed.

***

A/N; well what did everyone think? Thank you all for answering my question about the battle scenes, I write this story in the hopes that will enjoy it, so your input on matter such as this and any other general things about this fic are greatly appreciated and taken into full consideration.

Next chapter out soon hopefully!

~Deadly Beauty


	27. Connections

Disclaimer: Still don't own it…..DBZ that is

A/N: Wow, another chapter already! I'm quite proud of this one, it's a happy chapter and hope you like reading it as much a I liked writing it. Hopefully another chapter within the next week! ~D.B

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 26**

The next morning, as all the slaves began to emerge from their slumber, 18 became vaguely became aware of someone calling her name. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she realized that she must have fallen back asleep after her nightmare. Running her long slender fingers through her disheveled hair she looked up at the one who was responsible for waking her.

"Morning Nison," she said as she shielded her eyes from the strip of bright morning sunlight that was shining right into her eyes, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. But are you ok, I heard you had a bit of a rough night"

"Yeah" agreed 18, as she climbed out from under the covers, sporting a pair of lacy pink panties and a white singlet top, they had both been a gift from Krillen. The rest of the gifts, which she had opened about half of, were neatly stacked up beside her bed.

Nison watched her as she slowly walked across the cold cobblestone floor, not able to tear his eyes away from her beautiful figure. Her back was turned to him, so she was unaware of what was going on, or so Nison though. He knew he shouldn't be looking and thinking about 18 in such a way as he was right at that very moment, after all she was his best friends twin sister, and she was involved with the prince. Wasn't she? He wasn't really sure. But she just looked so darn hot in her sleep ware.

"Nison, I can feel you staring at me and if you don't stop you'll be able to feel your face smashed against the wall" 18 threatened as she pulled on her tattered black skirt and her dirty faded white shirt.

Nison gulped audibly, he had been busted in a big way, he muttered an apology to 18 and very quickly exited the room.

Grumbling to herself, 18 sat back on her bed and produced her prize possession from under her pillow, carefully removing the letter from the envelope she read it over for the thousandth time, taking in everything it was about and what this all meant for her.

"18" called a quiet voice from the entrance of the room. She looked up and smiled at Tarie.

"Did you get back to sleep alright?" Tarie asked as she sat down next to 18.

"Um…well I woke up this morning, so I guess I fell back to sleep" 18 replied. Tarie chuckled, then her eyes fell to the piece of paper in 18's hand, she'd seen it before and she knew it was important, she just wanted to know what it was exactly. "What is that?" she asked

18 sighed, did she really want to let Tarie see it. The most important thing she had ever owned. Well maybe she should, perhaps Tarie would be able to answer some of her questions. "It's a letter," she said with a sigh, "from Krillen" 18 handed the precious piece of paper over to Tarie for further inspection.

18,

If your reading this, then I've already left for Namek, I'm sorry that things had to be this way I didn't want to leave you, and the second I walk onto that ship, I'm gonna miss you.

I hope you enjoy the room and the gifts. Please enjoy everything and use it all how you see fit, as long as it makes you happy.

I'm sorry 18, I have to admit, there was another reason I wrote you this letter. Basically it's because I'm a wimp. That's right, there are things I want to tell you but no matter how hard I try, I just can't find the right words. Well here goes… don't laugh at me.

18, you are without a doubt the most important person in my whole entire life. You make my day times brighter, my night times filled with beautiful dreams and everyday you put a smile on my face. Just seeing you makes my whole world at ease and there is nothing I want more than to be able to share that beautiful feeling with you every single day for the rest of my life.

Every second I am away from you, I can feel my heart breaking and the further I get from you and the closer I get to Namek, I just know this will all be over soon and I'll be making my way home…back to you.

I'm not going to force you, from here, its up to you. If you don't hate me after reading this, then when I get back from Namek, let me know where you want to take this.

I know no one would approve of it, but I don't care, you mean so much more to me than anything I have ever experienced before.

Love,

Krillen

Tarie looked up at 18, a look of amazement on her pretty features, her eyes were shiny with tears, "that's so beautiful, you are so lucky 18. He's really really in love with you" she said

"Really?" asked 18, who still had no idea what love felt like. Was she in love to? She didn't know.

"Yes really" Tarie replied. She was about to open her mouth to say something else, when a loud grumbling sound interrupted her.

"What the hell was that?" asked 18 with a bit of amusement in her voice

"That was my stomach" Tarie said through a fit of giggles, "I'm hungry!"

"I figured" 18 said and joined Tarie in a good laugh.

"Ah girls, I hate to interrupt you," called Nison from the archway, "but if we don't head upstairs soon, we're gonna get our heads kicked in"

And that was it, their little bit of time were they were allowed to feel normal was over, and they were quiet harshly forced back into the horrible reality which they called their lives. Though with a life like theirs, they often wondered if it could even be considered a life at all.

***

"All personnel to the briefing room immediately. I repeat all personnel to the briefing room immediately. That is all" called Nappa over the intercom system, scaring Krillen – who had been lying on his bed on the brink of sleep, half to death.

He sat up and ran his hand through his messy black hair, right now it looked like he had some kind of an animal on his head it was such a mess.

"C'mon Krillen!" he heard Kakkarot calling him from the doorway, "you'll make us late"

"Alright I'm coming!" he called back in reply, the he jogged across the room to join up with Kakkarot to go to the briefing room.

Krillen spotted his big brother leaning against the back wall of the room and went to stand beside him, ever since they had had their little chat, their relationship had become much more valued between them, and it was something that they had both desperately needed.

"Hi" Krillen greeted him

"Hi yourself" said Vegeta, "now shut up and listen" he said, though the words weren't spoken with and harsh undertones or malice.

Nappa walked into the room then, he took his place at the front of the room, waited for silence to fall over the men, then began his address.

"Good morning men, I hope we're all feeling well today. As you may or may not be aware, we are getting to the business end of this flight. In fact we will be touching down on planet Namek in only a matter of hours." Many jaws around the room dropped – Krillens being one of them – he hadn't realized that they were that close to their arrival.

"I have been in contact with Namekian officials and the word is that Frieza has not yet arrived, in fact according to the Guru he could be as far as 4 days away – but remember men, just because he could be 4 days away doesn't necessarily mean he isn't only 20 minutes away, so be alert! We will use this time to our greatest advantage, getting to know that land, and the people, but the most important thing to remember is that Namek is a world of eternal light, meaning it has 2 suns, so during our entire stay we will never experience night. I suggest you sleep when ever possible; you'll need all the rest you can possibly get. Now, I want you all to head back to the living quarters and for you all to pack your things. You have 4 hours until arrival, use them wisely. We will meet back in here when I call you. That is all" Nappa concluded his little speech and all the men filed out of the rather small room.

"Krillen…hey Krillen where are you?"

"I'm over here" Krillen called in response to Ari's query. He heard footsteps coming in his direction and looked up. Sure enough Ari was making his way across the busy room towards Krillen and Kakkarot. Krillen waved and flashed Ari a bright smile.

"Have you finished you packing?" Krillen asked, as he folded a pair of sweatpants and stuffed them into his duffel bag. He assumed that since Ari wasn't packing he must have already finished.

"Na mate, I haven't even started yet. I just got out the shower, see" said Ari pointing his light blue hair, "still wet"

Krillen looked up at the clock on the wall, they had about 2 hours left until touchdown, "well you better hurry up and start"

"Hey, do you guys want any chocolate?" asked Kakkarot as he unwrapped yet another candy bar and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Um…no that's ok Kakkarot" replied Krillen, even after knowing Kakkarot for as long as he had, it still amazed him that he could eat so much and never get full. Even though it was true that Sayian men had enormous appetites, Kakkarot's love of food was at the extreme end of the scale

***

It was a beautiful day. The sky was brilliantly blue, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. No one could have asked for a more perfect day. Chi-chi sat out in the garden under a big shady tree, wrapping her arms around herself for extra warmth. It may have been a perfect day, but it was still winter for a few more weeks and the air was crisp and cool.

"Chi-chi, you out here?" she heard someone call her. Standing up, Chi-chi straightened out her white sweater and re-adjusted her long pale pink scarf so it hung evenly.

"I'm coming B-Chan" she called and quickly walked over to her best friend, "You look really great today"

Bulma looked down at her attire, she was wearing a pair of light blue flared jeans and with black boots and a light purple stretchy shirt, "Thanks" she said then she looked at her watch. "Do you wanna go get some lunch?" she asked.

Chi-chi nodded her head eagerly, "yeah, I'm famished" she replied. Bulma laughed and the two girls shot off into the sky towards their favorite shopping strip

~

A little while later, they touched down in the middle of a busy street. "What do you say we get in a bit of shopping before we eat?" suggested Bulma. Chi-chi quickly jumped at the offer "Sure!" she had been having a great day so far and it only seemed to be getting better. First off, it was a beautiful day, then they had served her favorite food at breakfast, then 18 had screwed up and she had the perfect opportunity to beat her senseless, now she was going shopping. Yep, it was the perfect day.

So the two girls hit the shops for an hour or so, and they both accumulated a good amount of shopping bags and some new items that were to die for. Among Chi-chi's most favorite items was a pair of denim ankle boots that had cost a lot of money, and a blue dress that fell all the way to the ground and had spaghetti straps, it would be perfect for long lazy summer days lounging by the pool.

"Hey B-Chan, you ready to eat yet?" Chi-chi called from across the store they were in.

"Yes!' Bulma practically screamed back, "I'm starving". Chi-chi laughed and walked over to the counter to pay for the items in her hand and Bulma followed suit, then they left the shop and headed towards their favorite café.

"So," Chi-chi began, as she sat down at the table the waitress had ushered them to, "where did you disappear to yesterday? I went to your house and your mum said you had gone out. I thought that was weird cause you never go anywhere without telling me

Bulma was quiet and that was a dead give a way to Chi-chi that something was wrong. Bulma was never quiet; she always had something to say. But not this time, this time silence had overcome her usually chatty friend.

"My god B, what did you get up to yesterday?"

"Well," Bulma looked around the room to make sure no one else was listening in on their conversation, then she leaned in closer to Chi-chi just to be sure. "Promise not to tell?"

"Of course I won't tell" Chi-chi replied sweetly, "but where were you?"

Bulma swallowed loudly before she spoke "I was at Yumcha's"

Chi-chi's eyes bulged and her mouth fell open "What!" she exclaimed louder than she needed to "are you insane? He is a very dangerous man. You know that better than anyone, what were you thinking?"

"He's very very sick Chi. Even right at this very moment, I have some tests running in the lab so I can find out exactly what's wrong with him"

"Wait wait, hold up. I don't get it. Why do you want to help that man…he is nothing but pure evil. You're not – well you know – with him again…are you?" Chi-chi was confused and annoyed at Bulma.

"Ok Chi calm down, I'll tell you everything if you just shut up and listen ok?"

Chi-chi nodded her head, desperately wanting to hear the story.

"Well not yesterday, but the day before I got a call from Yumcha's mother Cama. She fed me this sob story about how sick Yumcha was and how I was his only hope. Anyway, I decided instead of helping him, I'd go down there and put an end to his miserable existence…"

"How?" interrupted Chi-chi

"Well if you listen, I'm just about to get to that. I made up what I suppose you could call poison and I was going to inject it straight into his blood stream…but when I got there…" Bulma began to mumble after that until she eventually stopped talking all together….

"When you got there…" Chi-chi urged her to continue.

"I couldn't do it!" confess Bulma, "I saw him lying there and I thought I was finally going to get my revenge on him, but I just couldn't do it. Knowing that once I'd loved him so much and that I gave up so much to be with him. I couldn't do it." Bulma pulled a tissue out of her pocket and began to dab at her eyes with it. "I couldn't do it and it's killing me, I know that it's something I should have been able to do easily and now I don't know what to think. I didn't kill him, so does that mean I still have feelings for him?" asked Bulma in between her tears.

"B-Chan, you know you don't love Yumcha anymore, that's just silly. You're just too much of a nice person to be able to kill someone." Said Chi-chi, hoping that her words would be able to comfort Bulma at least a little

"I hope that's all it is" said Bulma. She could think of nothing worse than falling for Yumcha….again.

***

"Wow, it sure is….green," commented Kakkarot.

Krillen laughed and jumped off the ramp leading of the ship landing on the soft ground below, "hey your right, it is green," he said "but damn it's good to be off that ship!"

"So this is Namek" commented Vegeta as he looked around, rather awe stricken by what he saw. This wasn't at all like he had expected. No one had been briefed about the lifestyles and traditions of the Namekians, it had been left to their imaginations. And Vegeta had envisioned it to be a lot like his home, a bustling metropolis of people and places. But this was no bustling metropolis, apparently, they had landed on the edge of the small planets main village, the home of the Guru, but this place was deserted, there were a few small dome like houses and then a few more larger ones which Vegeta guessed were used as shops, schools and other places that were thought of as necessities. Also, another things that Vegeta noticed was that there was a large river flowing by the edge of the village, and there were women kneeling by the edge of it, with big baskets of clothing by their side. Were they actually washing their own clothes in a river? That was disgusting.

"It's pretty amazing isn't it Vegeta?" he heard Krillen ask from beside him. He only nodded in reply.

Once the whole group was out of the ship and they all had their luggage, Nappa led them down the grassy hill and into the small village, as they walked through, everything seemed to stop for them. Children stopped playing to gawk at them, women ceased their talking and stared, and all others present stopped to get a glimpse of the new arrivals to their planet who were so very different than they were. For the soldiers, it was a very intimidating experience, and they were very relieved when they arrived at their accommodation for the duration of the stay. They were going to be staying at the temple of Guru, it was only a simple complex, once you walked through the big stone entrance, you were on a big patch of open grass with a water fountain in the middle. At the far end of the grass was a big room with no door  - inside was where Guru himself lived. And around the rest of the patch of grass were many small apartments, there was more behind them as well. Plenty of room for everyone.

"Ok men, we are about to meet the Guru!" boomed Nappa, "he is a very old feeble man and wont be able to see you all at one, so I will be sending you in, in groups of 5 or 6. Got it? You are to tell the Guru your name, age and race, if he asks you anything answer promptly and politely! Do I make my self clear?" Nappa asked, though there was no room in his voice or any arguments.

~

'He even the sky here is green' Krillen thought to himself as he lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky. It sure was different here to Vegeta-sei. It just seemed so much more homely and intimate, like the natives here really cared about themselves and each other, the whole planet just had such a good vibe to it. Looking to the side, Krillen had to laugh. He could see little Namekian children peering in through the entrance to the sanctuary, they were whispering to each other and then they would burst into fits of laughter and disappear from Krillens sight, only to return again a few seconds later to see if all the strange men were doing anything different to what they had been doing last time they looked.

Krillen looked towards the big temple, then he blinked and sighed. For him, it still hadn't fully sunken in that this was all real and actually happening. It felt like some school excursion, like by the end of the day he would be snuggled up in his own bed under his own covers ready for another – completely new adventure tomorrow. This wasn't real life, it couldn't be.

"Hey Krillen" he heard Goku call him as he emerged from the temple. Krillen sat up and watched as Goku sat next to him.

"Well?" he asked

"Well what?"

Krillen rolled his eyes, "what's the Guru like?"

"Oh, yeah he's alright, he doesn't do much though. He's old and fat"

Krillen sniggered at Goku's remark. Here he was in the presence of the most powerful and respected man on the planet and all he had to say about him was 'he was old and fat' it made him wonder if people talked about his father like that.

***

It was approaching 5 o'clock, it would be getting dark in only a matter or minutes, and with that blanket of darkness came a chilling cold, it gave life to the saying 'freezing to death' it had happened before, and it could happen again.

18 groaned as she pressed her foot down on a button on the vacuum cleaner and she watched the cord retract, she ticked off one more task from her mental list. Next she had to sweep Chi-chi's stupid balcony. She walked out into the hall and snatched a broom out of the utility closet, and then she took it out onto Chi-chi's big balcony and began to sweep all the crap that had gathered there off the edge. It was only a small job, and took her no more than 10 minutes. Then she was done, well for today at least, come tomorrow, she would have another 4-page list of jobs to complete. It was ridiculous, lately Chi-chi had been getting her to jobs that didn't even have anything to do with her, like cleaning the pool, scrub the G.R's, weed the garden and her most detested job of all, scrubbing toilets in the soldiers quarters. Although since most of the men had gone off to Namek, that job had become much less demanding.

18 washed her hands in Chi-chi's bathroom and returned the broom to the closet. She was going to head back downstairs to the dump she had to call home, but she decided that before she did she would pop in and see how her brother and Tarie were doing

She quietly knocked on the door and took a step back. Only seconds later, the door was flung wide open to reveal her brother. A look of pure shock washed over 18 and she quickly stepped into the room and shut and locked the door.

"17! What the hell do you think you were doing?" she asked frantically. 17 looked dumb founded, he didn't know what he had done wrong, "I dunno" he said.

"How could you possibly be so stupid?" asked 18, "you have no idea who could have been knocking on that door. It could have been the King for all you know, and you would have just opened the door, and he probably would of killed you. You know that right?" she just couldn't believe her brothers stupidity

"Calm down sis" said 17 as he led 18 to sit on the bed, "that didn't happen did it. I'll be more careful next time I swear"

18 breathed a sigh of relief and smiled "good," she said, "where's Tarie?"

"Oh she's in the shower," 17 replied, "18 you know, I really can't thank you enough for all you have done for us, and I'm going to make sure that once our baby arrives he or she knows just how truly amazing their aunty 18 is"

18 felt tears well up in her eyes hearing her brother speak those words. It just meant so much to her to know that she was able to help give a tiny life a chance, she didn't care about spending another night in that freezing rodent infested hell hole. She would gladly give up everything she had and more for her brother and his little family to be.

"Hi 18. How are you?" she heard Tarie ask her as the bathroom door swung open and she walked out toweling her long brown hair. 18 looked across at her and smiled, she was glowing she looked absolutely fantastic, better than she had ever seen her look. The dark circles from under her eyes had gone, her hair was smooth and tangle free and it looked like she had already put on some weight from the food Bulma had been bringing them each day. "I'm good Tarie, I'm really good" she said with a genuine smile.

***

The sun had yet to rise over Vegeta-sei and cast it's golden-yellow warmth over everything it touched, but already, the throne room of the palace was alive and buzzing with early morning activity. The proceedings of this morning were so very important and crucial to the Sayian-Namek mission, as it had been so named. Not to mention, it was an excellent opportunity for the King to show off the genius ability of the palace Science department.

"Sire, 5 minute to connection establishment!" called Dr. Briefs from behind the desk he was at. "Bulma dear, hand me that blue cable"

Bulma yawned and passed a dark blue cable to her father. It was far to early for her to be up, but it was her job, to serve the King and cater to his every technological need, if she didn't do that then she would be out on her butt faster than she could say no.

It was only 4.14 in the morning, dawn wasn't even for another hour and 45 minutes, but already she had been up and required to use her brain at full potential for over an hour. It was ridiculous. "Do you need anything else daddy?" she asked

"3 minutes to connection establishment!"

Bulma rolled her eyes and looked up at the big T.V screen that had been set up in front of the throne, she smiled, her and her father had really out done themselves this time, they had headed the team that had made this whole component of the mission possible, there was only one thought running through her head as she sat back, took a sip of her piping hot, extra strong coffee 'Damn I'm good'

"Sire," said Dr. Briefs as he approached the Kings grand throne "Connection will be established in 45 seconds". "Thank-you Doctor, the assistance of you and your team has been invaluable" Dr. Briefs bowed to his King and stepped out of the way of the television screen.

Soon enough the blue screen started to flicker and a fuzzy image began to materialize, once the image cleared up, everyone in the room could see Nappa on the screen. He smiled and waved like an idiot before he addressed the King.

"Sire, good afternoon" he said.

"Nappa my good man, it's barely even 4.30 am here," said the King, "Are all the men well and accounted for?"

There was a pause as the sound traveled through the microphone attached to the Kings cloak to the little receiver in Nappa's ear, then Nappa nodded and replied, "Yes sire, all men well and present".

"Tell me Nappa, what's it like on Namek?"

Again there was a pause before Nappa's response, then he smiled and said – "It's too green. The nativities are nice though. It's a shame to know that Frieza is going to come in and wreck the place". The King nodded in agreement, "How are my boys?" he asked.

"Good" said Nappa, "If you would like I can fetch them, they are both awake".

Bulma felt her heart flitter, she would be able to see Vegeta, granted he was over 70 thousand kilometers away and the image was rather unclear, but it would be him none the less, hopefully it would be just the thing she needed to take her mind off Yumcha.

"Yes, fetch my sons please Nappa"

"Uh sire," called Bulma from where she was standing next to her father, "do you think Chi-chi would like to be present for this?"

"I think she would, would you mind fetching her?". By the time the King had finished his question, Bulma was halfway to the door.

~

"Chi," Bulma called as she pushed open the door and quietly crept into Chi-chi's dark room "are you awake?"

There was no reply. Bulma slowly walked towards the bed until she was looking down on Chi-chi, who was sprawled out on the bed, the covers only half covering her and using one of her pillows as a teddy.

"Hey Chi-chi!" Bulma called, not so quietly this time, "get your lazy ass out of bed!"

"What in the hell do you want Bulma?" Chi-chi uttered as she rolled over and buried her face into one of the many pillows adorning her bed.

"I want you to get your lazy butt out of bed and for you to come and talk to your brothers" Chi-chi sat up and rubbed her head in confusion

"B-Chan you idiot, my brothers are on Namek"

"I know" Bulma gloated inwardly at her incredible genius self, "Now get up, get dressed and go to the throne room" she continued, then she disappeared out of the room just as quickly as she had bounced in. Leaving Chi-chi in a state of total sleepy confusion, wondering if she had just experienced the most vivid dream in history or not.

She pulled herself out of bed, and groaned when she saw the time. It was 4.30 in the morning, far to early to be awake. Though she was still half asleep, she pulled on a pair of white track pants, tied her hair back in a messy ponytail, fished her fluffy pink slippers out of the closet and headed of towards the throne room.

She entered the brightly lit, noisy throne room with a loud yawn. Bulma had obviously been telling the truth.

"Daddy, what's happening?" she asked as she padded across the big room towards the Kings throne.

"We are about to speak with Vegeta" he replied.

"How?" Chi-chi asked as someone handed her a cup of hot coffee, she graciously took a big sip.

"Magic" he said with a grin.

Chi-chi looked at the T.V screen in front of her, nothing was happening, all she could see was a wooden chair, and in the background was a wall with an archway that lead outside. That was it. Very boring.

A few more minutes passed, and then Vegeta walked in through the arch and sat on the chair, he connected the microphone and put the receiver in his ear. "Hi" he said

Chi-chi waved like a maniac, Vegeta shook his head and waved back, "Hello Chi-chi" he said

"Hi Veg-head!"

Vegeta frowned.

Bulma could feel her heart racing, Vegeta was wearing a sleeveless blue spandex, he looked tired. She wondered how long they had been there for, but at the same time, he looked so damn hot. Seeing him and knowing he was so far away made her miss him 10 thousand times more than she already did. She wasn't going to cry, she wouldn't allow it, no, no crying for Ms. Briefs today.

"How is Namek?" asked the King through a yawn. Vegeta waited for the sound to come through, then said "everything here is very simple, but I can't say that I don't like it"

"It's good to see you again son, was your flight satisfactory"

"The food tasted like dirt"

"Any signs of Frieza?"

"The guru says he could be as far as 4 days away" seethed Vegeta; he wanted Frieza to be right here, right now, so he could kick his sorry ass all the way to H.F.I.L, then burn the corpse.

"I see," replied the King, "Is Krillen going to be joining us?"

Vegeta blinked and looked towards the opening in the wall that lead outside, "Krillen was just finishing with lunch, he should be along shortly" he said turning back to the camera. Just then, as if on cue, Krillen came jogging through the door, he switched places with Vegeta and connected himself to the microphone and receiver.

Looking at the screen, he could see transmissions of his Father and Chi-chi, he could do without her there, but he decided to be nice for the sake of the King. Besides, if he was nice, they might let him talk to 18, he was dying without her, he needed to see her. Krillen feared that his very life depended on it

"It's good to see you, Krillen" said the King with a smile.

"You too father," he replied after the delay caught up with him "Chi-chi" he added with a nod. No smile for her though.

"Krillen" she said in a monotone voice, then she disappeared from the screen. Krillen smiled, "How are things on Vegeta-sei?" he asked

"Fine fine, everything is going good"

"That's good, I miss being there, I never knew I was the type to get homesick" he said with a chuckle, though he knew full well he wasn't home sick, he was 18 sick. God he missed her, but at least now he knew what he felt for 18 was true love, if it had only been infatuation then she would be the last thing on his mind right now, but she was far from that, she was on his mind every second of every day and when he slept, she joined him there to – in his dreams.

"Well if there is anything I can do to help reduce the homesickness son, then let me know"

Krillen jumped at the perfect opportunity that had just been presented to him, "actually father, there is someone I would like to speak to" he said. Krillen had to be careful in the way he went about asking if he could speak with 18, as his father had no idea of their friendship, let alone their pending relationship

"Of course son, to whom do you wish to speak? I shall have them summoned here immediately"

"I wish to have words with one of the slave girls, Chi-chi's assistant, I believe her name is 18" the King smirked, he knew 18 well, from her days back in the harem, he had yet to see a better girl come through than 18, he often wondered why he ever let her go

He looked around the room, which was very quiet and called out to the first person who's name he remembered.

"Bulma!"

Bulma's head snapped up in attention, she looked up the her King before bowing deeply before him, "Yes sire, how may I help you?"

"Fetch me Miss 18, and do it quickly"

"Yes sire" replied Bulma and she fled the room.

Back up on Namek, Krillen tilted his chair back and sighed to himself, he was going to be able to see 18, his heart felt like it was about to overflow.

"Father," he said "would Chi-chi like to speak to Kakkarot for a minute?". He wanted to be the last one to speak to 18, that way, he would be able to talk to her for the longest without holding anybody up. All of a sudden, Chi-chi's face was replacing that of his fathers "Where's Kakkarot!" she demanded.

"Alright, alright, I'll get him. Calm down" said Krillen and he left the room

***

Bulma wrapped her arms around her torso and shivered. It was freezing down here, and she was sure she was lost. Moving the flashlight she was holding around so she could see, she watched the light bounce off the walls, floor and ceiling. Eventually she found the big wooden door that lead to the slave quarters. Being sure that she breathed through her mouth to avoid the foul smell, she pushed the door open and crept inside the complex.

"Right" she whispered, "Now to find 18". Bulma really had no idea where to look, there was at least 50 people sleeping in here. Walking past each of the beds, she quickly shone the torch on each of the sleeping figures, determining if they were 18 or not. As she walked into the next room, Bulma felt her nose begin to tingle, and she knew she was going to sneeze, and before she even had the chance to stop it, it had happened.

On the other side of the room 18 groaned and rolled over. Who had sneezed? Was it Nison? The blonde beauty hadn't really been sleeping, she had been drifting in and out of sleep all night thanks to the disturbing dreams of Krillen she kept on having, they had scaled down in their intensity since that first one, but they still unnerved her anyway.

"Ah" Bulma smiled as she noticed 18, or what she thought was 18, and she seemed to be awake to, that was a bonus "pssst, 18 is that you?"

18 slowly forced her right eye opened, was someone talking to her? She sat up and looked around the room, and saw Bulma clutching a flashlight and looking completely disheveled. Upon seeing her, 18's brain went into overdrive, something must have been wrong with 17 or Tarie, why else would Bulma be down here when the sun hadn't even come up yet.

"What's wrong?".

Bulma smiled as she approached the bed, "Nothings wrong, but you need to come with me. I'll explain on the way"

18 climbed out of the bed, took the blankets and wrapped them around her petite frame. She didn't know where Bulma was leading her, but for some strange reason she trusted her.

***

Krillen stood just out of the view of the camera, holding a glass of water in his hands, listening to Chi-chi and Goku ramble on about how much they missed each other, the only interesting thing about it was the fact that even though Kakkarot was talking with Chi-chi the woman who was supposed to be the most important thing in his life, he was still stuffing candy bar after candy bar into his mouth, and only talking to Chi-chi in between mouthfuls and sometimes half way through them. It was horrible

"Hey Kakkarot man, you almost done?" Krillen asked as he ran his hands through his shaggy black hair

"Done what?" Kakkarot replied, "Eating candy, or talking to Chi?"

"Both"

"Oh, um yeah, I suppose I'm almost finished"

"Finished what?"

"Talking to Chi".

Krillen shook his head and gulped down the remainders of the liquid in his glass, "I'll be back in a minute man ok" he said and he walked out the room to top up his glass.

~

Chi-chi sat in her fathers throne and stared wide eyed at the screen in front of her, sure it was a somewhat fuzzy image, but it was him nonetheless, her Kakkarot. It seemed like it had been an entire lifetime since she had seen him last, when in actual fact it had only been 14 days, exactly 2 whole weeks, half a month, one 24th of a year. She could have kept on going, but she chose not to, it was far too early in the morning for such complicated thinking.

All she knew was that she missed Kakkarot, and seeing him here only made it 10 times worse. She could feel the moisture on her cheeks and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"Aw don't cry Chi, it's ok. I'll be home soon" said Kakkarot, he felt horrible for making Chi-chi cry

"I miss you" she whimpered.

"I miss you to"

Just then, the door to the throne room creaked open and Bulma popped her head in. Chi-chi quickly wiped her face and tried to look cheery, "can we come in?" Bulma asked

"Sure you can B-Chan"

Bulma smiled at Chi-chi and pushed open the door, allowing 18 entry to the room, 18 shuddered, last time she had been in here was after the Son ball and she had gotten into a lot of trouble over that.

Chi-chi saw 18 walk through the door and suddenly her eyes ignited with a type of fury, "what is she doing in here?" she hissed

"Your brother wants to speak with her"

"Who Krillen?"

"Yes, Krillen. So you should say good bye to Kakkarot and come down the hall with me and get some breakfast"

"Fine" Chi-chi grumbled, she did not seem impressed. She said goodbye to Kakkarot and blew him a kiss, then she stomped across the room towards Bulma, being sure to knock 18 to the ground on her way past. 18 fell to the ground with a thud.

By the time 18 pulled herself up off the ground, stumbled across the throne room and sat herself down on the throne in front of the camera. An image of Krillen was already on the screen. She waved to him as she connected herself up to the microphone and receiver.

"18!," Krillen exclaimed, "I can't believe it. You've got no idea how much I've missed you!"

18 couldn't reply, she was to overwhelmed. Seeing Krillen and hearing him just made her want to cry, and that was exactly what happened. Her vision became clouded and misty, then she felt the fat tears rolling down her porcelain cheeks and try as hard as she did, she just couldn't stop then, "Krillen" she chocked out in between her sobs.

Krillen reached out and pressed his fingers against the camera, "Shhhh, don't cry 18, it's ok, it'll all be ok, I promise. 18 reached out and touched the T.V screen, where a huge image of Krillen fingers currently resided, it was as close as she was going to get to him in a long while.

"Krillen," 18 said as she sat back down in the throne, "when are you coming home?"

Krillen shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know 18, I really don't know"

18 wiped some tears off her pretty face and was about to say something, but Krillen spoke first "Have you been using my room?" he asked with a smile

"No," 18 shook her head "Tarie is pregnant, so I let her and 17 use it. They needed it more than me. You don't mind do you?"

Krillen felt tears well up in his eyes "That was a beautiful thing for you to do. You're such an amazing woman"

"I got your letter"

Krillens face paled, this was it, his moment of truth, the moment that would determine the rest of his life. Whether he would spend all of his days in bliss or misery, "and?" he asked 

"I don't care what anyone thinks either," she sobbed, "I want you back here with me"

***

A/N: So, what did you all think? I'd love to hear in a review. Tell me if you liked it, or hated it or whatever, c'mon, fill my inbox with reviews, I'll give ya a cookie.

Well, hope you liked the chapter, I'll try to update soon

~Deadly Beauty


	28. Lights, Camera, Action!

Disclaimer; I still don't own DBZ. Why doesn't the site just save us the hassle of doing this and put a big disclaimer on the front page of the site. "No one on FF.net owns any of the works posted on this site"

A/N; Yay. New chappie! Hope you all like this; I think it's all right. My aim is to have at least 2 more chapters up before Christmas. And to everyone who left a review on the last chapter, you cookies will be arriving in the mail shortly ;) ~D.B

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 27**

18 looked up at the clock and sighed, it was 11.30 am. She was still in a state of total shock after talking to Krillen, it had been amazing, so far she had spent her day floating around the palace in a kind of hypnotized state. She couldn't believe she had actually talked to him; she had needed it so badly. Needed the reassurance that everything would work out fine. It still baffled her how the conversation had been possible, but that really wasn't what she wanted to be thinking about, all she wanted on her mind was Krillen. Her Krillen.

"Pssst 18" she heard someone call from the doorway and her eyes snapped up to match a face to the voice. She was surprised to say the very least.

"Bulma?" she sounded baffled as to why Bulma was talking to her "….Hi"

Bulma greeted 18 with a warm smile "Hi. This morning was pretty amazing huh?"

18 only nodded as she watched Bulma sit down on Chi-chi's bed 'Great' 18 thought now I'm gonna have to make the bed again' "it was amazing" she agreed quietly as she went back to her task of folding Chi-chi's clean laundry.

"Krillen wanted to speak to you, yeah?" Bulma asked

"Yeah"

"Mind if I ask why?" questioned Bulma

18 shrugged her shoulders "I guess he just felt like it"

Bulma moved from the bed and sat down at Chi-chi's vanity where she began to fuss with her long blue hair "But why?"

"He's my friend"

Bulma watched 18's reflection in the mirror and smiled, she really was a nice girl. Ever since she had been bringing Tarie and 17 food she had been having little conversations with 18 here and there, she found Tarie nice as well, though she didn't feel like she could talk to her as well as she could talk to 18, which was odd as Tarie was exceptionally cheerful and optimistic for someone with her bleak background and an unclear future, and 18, well she was dark, cold, shut off and mysterious. Yet there was just something about her that Bulma liked, she just wasn't to sure what it was it was.

"So do you like him?"

"I said he's my friend didn't I?" 18 rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly, Bulma chose to ignore it.

"I mean, do you like him as more than a friend?"

"No," 18 lied, "and even if I did, why would I tell you?"

"I suppose so" said Bulma as she stood up, "Well I gotta get back to work, talk to you later ok"

"Yeah ok" 18 muttered still confused as to why Bulma was talking to her, "bye"

***

"Kakkarot!" Krillen shouted in shock as he picked up a squishy vegetable that had been thrown at him and hurled it back at Kakkarot, "That is disgusting!"

Kakkarot broke out in a boisterous fit of laughter and almost fell of the bench he was sitting on.

For the boys on Namek, it was dinnertime, and it was a well looked forward to event. This had been their second dinner on Namek and tonight they were able to sample some of Nameks more interesting cuisine. They were eating something that was black and looked moldy, but they had been assured it was perfectly fine, but when you bit into it, it could burn you tongue off, along with a type of vegetable that somewhat resembled potato, but tasted nothing like anything any of them had ever tasted before.

"This is great!" exclaimed Kakkarot as he shoveled more and more food into his mouth like it was his last day of life. 

Ari could only watch on in shocked horror as the Sayian-waste-disposal-unit plowed through his fourth serve. Kakkarot had earned himself that nickname because he did quite literally eat anything anyone offered him, Ari was quite convinced that if he took off his shoe and threw it at him, then he would chomp it down without even realizing he had done it. It was nauseating really, and it was beyond Ari's wildest conception how Kakkarot could possibly be a warrior, in all rights, he should have been a morbidly obese blob. 

Yet Krillen had assured him time and time again that Kakkarot – when focused – was one of the best warriors Vegeta-sei had seen in a long time and since Krillen was Ari's trusted friend, he really had no choice but to believe him. 

Anyway it didn't matter, he would be able to see for himself if Kakkarot was really all he was cracked up to be when the war to end all wars broke out in days, possibly hours, possibly minutes, life right now was like a time bomb waiting to explode. Not that Ari was looking forward to fighting a long, hard, grueling, scary, dirty battle against the mega tyrant Frieza and his band of loyal dropkicks, he just really wanted to see Kakkarot fight.

"Hey Krillen, wanna go for a walk with me after this?"

"Sure" replied Krillen

"Can I come too?" asked Kakkarot, spitting half chewed food everywhere. Krillen and Ari cringed "if you promise never to do that again, you can come.

~

Krillen looked at his new watch, it went by Namek time and according to it, it was about a quarter past 8 at night, but you wouldn't pick it. On Vegeta-sei by this time, it would be dark, and if it were a summer night the crickets would be chirping and the air would still be warm, meaning it would be quite acceptable to turn on the lights and go for a dip in the pool. But here – here it was still as bright as day, so bright the sky was clear, birds were chirping, children still played outside their houses and mothers still sat by the river washing clothes and sharing gossip. Some parents were beginning to call their young ones back into their houses, no doubt to put them to bed. Krillen couldn't understand how they could sleep in broad daylight, but then again they didn't know any thing else, so they were probably used to it.

"Um…. excuse me" the trio head someone call from behind them. Upon turning around they saw a small Namekian boy, he shyly approached the men and attempted to ask them a question, but his nerves got the better of him. Krillen bent down and sat on his ankles so he was roughly the same height as the boy.

"Hi," he said with a bright smile, "I'm Krillen. It's nice to meet you"

"I'm Dende" spoke the little boy "Are you going to kill Frieza?"

Krillens smile grew and his eyes lit up, this little boy reminded him of Nison, "Well, little buddy we're certainly going to try"

Dende smiled, but it quickly disappeared when he heard someone call his name "Dende!" It boomed. Krillen looked up…and up…and up, until his eyes met with the eyes of a green giant, even when Krillen rose from his squatting position, he only just cleared his stomach.

"Dende, stop bothering these men. Get inside the house and ask your uncle to run you a bath" he boomed

"Yes father" Dende replied obediently and he quickly turned and disappeared into one of the nearby houses.

"Sorry about him bothering you like that. Names Nail" Nail introduced himself and held out a hand, that Krillen, Kakkarot and Ari all shook.

"Nice to meet you Nail, I'm Krillen and these are my friends Kakkarot and Ari" Nail nodded in acknowledgment, then he promptly turned and walked into the house the small boy had entered only minutes before.

"Well," began Ari, I don't know if that was rude or not?" he scratched the back of his head in confusion

"Me either" said Kakkarot

Krillen sighed "Oh well, come on, we'd better start heading back or else Nappa is gonna kill us"

***

Chi-chi knocked on the door of the throne room and poked her head inside the door. It was busy in there, the King was yelling into the phone and his associates were running around like maniacs. Chi-chi knew that without them, the palace and kingdom would be in a state of total chaos, but still, they annoyed her.

"Daddy," she called as she strode across the room, she stopped just in front of him and waited a few minutes for him to get off the phone, he seemed to have gotten what he wanted – since when did he not? He wore a cocky smirk on his face that reminded her of her oldest brothers.

"Ah, Chi-chi dear, how can I help you?" he asked as he rubbed his goatee and resumed his position in his big cushy throne

"Well," she began, twirling a strand of her long black, "I was thinking…" 

"You don't want another credit card do you?"

"No!" well actually she did, but that wasn't what she was in here for right now, "I was actually thinking of something other than myself!" she joked, sounding mock hurt.

The King chuckled to himself and leaned back in his chair, waiting to hear what his only daughter had to say

"I was thinking. What if when Kakkarot and the others get back from Namek, we have some sort of ceremony for them, and we could give them a bravery award or something" she suggested, her tail flicked eagerly behind her as she spoke.

The King pondered what Chi-chi had just said for a minute or so then he looked at her and smiled "I think that's a fantastic idea. But you're going to have to be the one to organize the whole thing. I just don't have the time sorry"

"What, you mean like everything?" Chi-chi sounded shocked. 'There is no way I can organize an entire function by myself'

"Yes by yourself. You'll do just fine, I'll supply you with the cash and I'll organize the awards, but the rest is up to you my dear"

"Ok then daddy, thank you" she said and she headed out the door, as soon as she was outside the throne room, she broke into the full paced sprint and dashed across the palace to find Bulma.

~

"Dad, have all those cells fused yet?" asked Bulma as she covered the speaker end of the phone with her hand so the person on the other end couldn't hear her speaking to him.

"Not yet dear" replied Dr. Briefs with a frustrated sigh

"Ok then," said Bulma and she resumed her phone discussion. "Yes, sorry about that, I was wondering if it would be at all possible to have it shipped here overnight?"

She listened for a few minutes as the woman on the other end of the phone spoke to her. "Ok then, very well Thursday will be fine. Yes, Miss Bulma Briefs will be signing for the package. Thank you. Goodbye" she said and she hung up the phone

Suddenly Chi-chi burst into the room, panting and out of breath. Bulma instantly assumed something dreadful had happened. "Chi, what wrong?" she asked, sounding alarmed.

"Nothing" Chi-chi replied in between gulps for air. "I need your help, that's all"

Bulma slowly nodded her head. "Oh ok, sit down and tell me how I can help. Its close enough to my lunch break"

Chi-chi sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of Bulma's desk and reached for Bulma's glass of water, after she drank it's entire contents, she spoke "papa wants me to organize a ceremony for the boys when they get back from space. He'll pay for it, but I could really use your help planning the whole thing. Bulma leaned back in her big leather executive chair and considered the offer for a minute. It would certainly be fun. But did she really have the time? Well it had been a while since she had really had some quality time with her best friend, so she might as well take the opportunity. "Sure I'll help you Chi"

"Great" Chi-chi said with a smile, she had suddenly become excited about the idea of planning such a special event; it would be the function of the year, hopefully even better than the Son Ball.

"How formal should it be?" she asked

Bulma pulled a pad of paper and pen out from under her desk and began to scribble things down on it. "Ok," she said, "It should be formal, but not overly formal. Remember, the last thing the boys are going to want after a long hard trip in space is to have to get ready for a gala event. I think it should just be a nice black tie event."

Chi-chi smiled brightly "Great idea B-Chan"

Before long they girls had composed quite an impressive list of things necessary to hold a great event, and it was a bigger list than they had first thought. Chi-chi looked at it and shook her head; she was going to have to make so many phone calls, so very many. But she wanted to do it, she wanted Kakkarot to be proud of her, for him to see that she was able to put her mind to something and get it done. It would be her way of thanking him for all he did for her, and all he would surely continue to do for her. But there was one thought lingering in the back of her mind that she just couldn't get past

"B, what if they don't make it back and all of this planning and preparation is in vain? Then what?"

"Chi, that isn't going to happen ok. Everything is going to be fine"

Chi-chi smiled, but it wasn't a smile full of confidence, it was a half smile made up of doubt and worry. She was scared.

***

Krillen rolled over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, resting his hands behind his head he let out a long sigh. How was anyone expected to sleep in constant daylight? Well… Krillen tipped his head to the side and watch Kakkarot and Ari in their respective beds, both snoring their heads off... they could.

He was getting frustrated, he was so tired from all the sleepless nights or days or whatever you wanted to call them, and it was beginning to take it's toll on him.

"That's it" Krillen muttered to himself and he threw off his covers, pulled on the only outfit he had – a black sleeveless spandex, and walked outside into the impossibly bright… night?

Taking long fast strides, he quickly walked out of the little hut that he shared with his two friends and down past Gurus temple, Krillen peered in on his way past, and Guru was sleeping – not that he was surprised. He walked a little further down the path and he came to a hut that was similar to the one he was staying in, only much bigger. Knocking on the door, Krillen pushed it open a little and poked his head inside.

"Vegeta," he called, "you awake?"

"Yeah" replied Vegeta from a dark corner of the room. Krillen smiled and made his way over to his older brother. "I couldn't sleep" he said, knowing that it sounded corny, but he just couldn't think of any other way to phrase it.

Vegeta sat up in his bed and patted the newly vacated spot, inviting Krillen to sit there, "Me either"

"You stole the good room" Krillen commented, taking in everything this room had that his didn't. A door, for instance and a non-communal bathroom.

Vegeta only shrugged his shoulder, "you were offered a spot in here, and it's hardly my problem if you declined it"

"I know. It makes you think though"

"About what?"

"About just how lucky we really are. I mean we have so much stuff at home that we take for granted. Coming here and seeing how these people live really opened my eyes. And it's sad to think that in a few days they'll probably all be dead"

Vegeta snorted, "don't think about it like that. Think of them as sacrificing themselves for the greater good"

"Yeah," Krillen smiled "for the greater good" then he drifted off into thought. 

What Vegeta had just said had actually helped somewhat, he felt a little better, but still there was one thought he couldn't shake. That little boy they had met earlier on their walk…what had his name been…Dende? Yeah, that was it, Dende. He had been the first Namekian, besides the Guru, to actually talk to them, and it had really touched Krillen. And it really hurt him to think that that poor little kid, whom unlike his father had thought, was not bothering them in the slightest, was going to die. He was young, only 7 maybe 8. There was so much of life he had yet to discover, so much he could do, so much he would never get to do. But that wasn't the worst part, the worst part was that Dende's wouldn't be the only young life that would be brought to an end well before it was due. Hundreds, probably thousands of Namekian children would die, and that made a sense of overwhelming sorrow wash over him. Because he knew in his heart, though he didn't want to admit it, that this battle would almost certainly bring the Nameks to extinction. They would become nothing more than a memory, something that children of other, luckier races would study in history class, and not really care about. It made Krillens stomach churn.

All of a sudden, Krillen was given a brute, rather harsh shove back into reality, by way of Vegeta jumping out of bed and quite loudly repeating very vulgar profanities.

"What?" Krillen asked, quite shocked and alarmed, he cold feel his heart race quicken and he didn't even know what was wrong.

Vegeta tore the clothing he was wearing off and promptly preceded to pull on his spandex. "For god's sake Krillen, didn't you hear that?" he shouted as he quickly shoved his armour down over his head.

"No, hear what?"

"That bloody explosion. It can only mean one thing!"

Krillen gulped, praying he was only dreaming "Frieza?"

"Yes Frieza. This isn't a drill, this is the real thing, it's time to get our revenge on that bastard. You know what to do. Now go!" Vegeta screamed over the alarm that had begun to sound.

Krillen didn't need to be told twice, it was time to Rock'N'Roll.

***

Chi-chi placed up the phone back on its receiver and rested back against some of the many over stuffed pillows on her bed. Her ears were beginning to get hot from the amount of time she had spent on the phone, looking across at her alarm clock she saw it read 2.34 pm. She groaned, almost 2 hours on the phone was far to long.

Casting her eyes all around her bedroom, she noticed a dark red stain in the bottom corner of one half of the pink curtains. She slowly got up and strode across the big room, crouching down near the accusing stain and picking up the corner of the curtain, upon a closer look, she discovered that indeed was blood.

"18," she called

18 looked up from the clothing she was ironing and gulped, "Yes Ma'am" she replied

"What's this?" Chi-chi snapped, standing up and moving away from the curtain, not wanting 18 to get to close to her, after all who knew what kinds of diseases she was infested with.

18 took Chi-chi's spot and gave the stain a quick glance "it's blood ma'am"

Chi-chi rolled her eyes, "I know it's blood you fool, I want to know how it got there?"

"I don't know ma'am," said 18, forcing the words out of her mouth, she hated this women more than anything, she detested her, and trying to be polite to her, went against everything she knew, "but I'll tend to it right away"

Chi-chi shook her head, that wasn't a good enough answer. She was in a cranky mood and wanted everything her way, right now!.

"No 18," she hissed, "you won't tend to it right away, you'll tell me how it happened…. or suffer the consequences"

18 gulped again, she didn't like where this was going. Why did Chi-chi always have to pick on her? She had picked on her every day for the last 11 months. Wasn't she board yet? "I don't know what caused this ma'am" she said, not daring to make eye contact with the witch, who was 2 years her senior.

"That's not good enough 18. I know you know who or what did this. So spit it out"

18 was at a loss, she had no idea what had cause this stupid stain, but it hadn't been her, that was for sure "I really don't know ma'am"

'That's it' Chi-chi thought to herself and in her new found rage, she lifted her foot and booted 18 halfway across the room, where she crashed into the wall with a thud. Chi-chi tucked her hair behind her ear and stomped over to 18 where she kneed her in the stomach, swore loudly and stormed out the room.

18-cracked one eye open to make sure Chi-chi was gone before she opened her mouth and spat blood all over the floor, her vision was all fuzzy, and more and more blood just kept pouring out of her mouth. She was going to pass out, she could feel it, her body ache and her entire midsection was burning, waves of pain washed over her and she welcomed the relief of nothingness that would surely talk her over any minute now.

But before she could feel the sweet relief of nothing she felt 2 cool hands resting on her shoulders, then move to cradle her face.

"18," she faintly heard the voice call her name "18 answer me. Are you ok? Please, let me know you can here me"

She tried her best to give an indication that she could here who ever was talking to her.

17's face was twisted into a look of panic; he didn't know what to do or how long 18 had been bleeding like this. He'd been walking past the door, and there she had been, lying on the floor, a big pool of blood around her head.

"18, it's me 17, your brother. You're going to be fine" he said, remembering back to when he had been hurt and how 18 had been the one to nurse him back to health and stay by his side until he was well again.

He jumped up and ran into the bathroom, grabbed a glass and filled it with cool water. Then he very carefully sat his sister up and helped her swallow the cool liquid.

"What in the hell is going on in here?"

17 jumped up "What did you do to my sister?" he screamed to her, white-hot rage consuming his entire being.

Chi-chi looked beyond 17 to the pitiful mess that was 18 on the floor and scoffed "Me? She bought that on herself"

"How can you be so heartless? Why do you have to hurt her? She never does anything wrong by you" he demanded to know.

Chi-chi rolled her eyes, pushed past 17 and prodded 18 with her foot. "I'm the princess of this entire planet, I can do what I like – and you can't stop me. Now go, and take your pathetic excuse for a sister with you"

17 narrowed his eyes and ball his fists to prevent himself blowing a hole through something. He picked a now unconscious 18 up and looked directly at Chi-chi. "You know, she might not be able to fight back now, but just you wait. One day, you are going to crash and burn at 18's hands. And trust me, 18 knows how to exact revenge. I hope you rot in hell" he said and left the room. Leaving a stunned Chi-chi behind

***

A/N; Well what did you all think? Good? Bad? Great!? So terrible you want to flame me to the middle of next week? I'd love to hear what you though of this chapter. It's like a million and six degrees at my house today…swimming pool here I come!… and your review might just be the thing I need to cool me down. ~D.B


	29. The Beginning Of The End

Disclaimer; Still don't own DBZ…only a few days till Christmas though

A/N; Yay, another update already. Wow I'm just pumping them out at the moment. Are you all proud of me? Hope you all enjoy this chappie, if all goes well, hopefully I'll have another chapter out by the weekend

And Lavender The Drama Girl, I live in Australia and it is the middle of summer right now, the heat wave broke last night though and it's gone back a normal temperature. You know, I've never seen a white Christmas before; here in Aus we celebrate Christmas in summer!

Well, no more delays, here you go everyone the next chap of And Then You'll Know

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 28**

The night sky was littered with stars, hundreds, thousands, probably even millions of them covering the ground below in an odd sliver shimmer. It was very late at night – or very early in the morning, whichever way you chose to look at it. It was almost 3am, and Chi-chi just couldn't sleep. She stood out on the balcony, despite the cold weather, dressed in her pajamas and wearing a big baggy jumper over the top, and of course her favorite pink slippers.

She looked up at the sky, wondering which one of them was actually Namek, though she doubted it was anyone of them; Namek was over 70,000 kilometers away after all.

Holding her stomach, Chi-chi groaned, she had been feeling sick for hours now, ever since about 3 that afternoon, she just couldn't rid herself of this sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong all the way up there on Namek. Was Frieza there? Was Kakkarot hurt? Had he finally gotten ill from eating to many candy bars? She didn't know, but she did know that whatever was going on up there, she didn't like.

It was then that Chi-chi decided that she was going to do something she hadn't done for a long long time. Walking back into her bedroom, she shut the glass balcony doors, pulled her jumper off and threw it on the ground then she headed down the hall. A short time later Chi-chi came to the end of the hall, to a set of double wooden doors. She had expected her father to be well and truly asleep, but there was a yellow glow shining under the door, signifying that her father was either sleeping with the light on, which was unlikely, or he wasn't asleep at all. She knocked on the door but didn't wait for a reply; she just pushed one of the doors open and crept inside.

The King was sitting at his big desk, his arms rested on it and his head buried in them. His tail hung limply behind him, his troubled posture instantly told Chi-chi something was wrong.

"Papa?" she quietly called him, using her pet name for him, which she hadn't used for almost a year now. "Are you alright?"

The Kings head snapped up and he quickly wiped tears off his face "Chi-chi," he sounded startled by his daughters sudden appearance "What are you doing here?"

Chi-chi walked over to her father and stood beside him "I couldn't get to sleep. Papa why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong dear, everything is fine. Now why don't you head back to bed?"

"I already told you, I couldn't sleep. Something has happened to the boys hasn't it? Is it Kakkarot?" Chi-chi asked, feeling her own eyes begin to fill with tears.

The King nodded somberly, "I have just received word that Frieza arrived on Namek about 9 hours ago, it was about 2 am Namekian time. Nappa was only just able to get in contact with me now.

"And?" asked Chi-chi

The King knew what she wanted to know "Nappa was blunt, 5 men have already died and countless more have been injured. The Namekian people have offered their assistance and allied with our troops but even with them on our side, I'm afraid things are looking grim"

Chi-Chi felt the tears running down her cheeks, and stretched out her arms, her father stood up and wrapped her in his embrace. "It's ok Chi-chi, I know how you must be feeling. But our men have been trained well, I honestly believe we will come out of this battle victorious and then think Chi-chi, our people will be free of Freiza's chains forever"

"Is it really worth it papa?" Chi-chi sobbed, she could feel the wet patch she had created on her father's shirt "is it really worth risking Kakkarot's life, Vegeta's life, just to be free?"

The King pushed Chi-chi off him then and held her an arms lengths away, his eyes had become hard and focused and Chi-chi instantly knew she had said the wrong thing "Chi-chi, how could you possibly say that about a…a….a monster, that nearly wiped out our entire population, took away everything we had worked so hard to achieve and killed you mother" his voice dropped for the latter part of the sentence.

Chi-chi covered her mouth with her hand and took a slow deep breath. Her father was right, they were dealing with the creature that had killed her mother. She was thrust back into the horrible day she had been informed of her mother's death and how never had she ever experienced anything that had hurt more than that. She had never really fully recovered from loosing her mother and being raised by a single father, not that it was really him who had raised them back in those early years; they had had nannies, teachers, personal trainers, people who were hired just to play with them. It really wasn't until they had become old enough to look after themselves that the King had decided he wanted to be a part of their lives.

"You're right papa, we'll be free" she whispered

"That's my girl," the King spoke softly now and wiped away some of Chi-chi's tears "now what do you say you try and get some sleep. You're going to need all the energy you can get to prepare that party for when the boys get home"

Chi-chi smiled through her tears, stood up on her tiptoes and kissed her father on the cheek, "Alright, I'll try," she said softly "goodnight papa"

"Goodnight sweetheart"

***

"Kakkarot!" Krillen whirled around, shooting a blinding blue energy beam from his hand and incinerating one of Freiza's hundreds of henchmen "Kakkarot!, Where are you?" his face was smeared with blood and he wasn't sure if it was his own or not…and where the hell was Kakkarot? He had been fighting for almost 5 hours straight and Krillen felt like he was about to die from sheer exhaustion rather than being pummeled by Freiza's personal army. How Frieza had known that they were going to be there waiting for him was really beyond him, and where he had managed to get an entire army from baffled Krillen. Usually when Frieza needed some work done, he turned to the universes extinguishes the Sayians, were he had dug up this bunch was a mystery.

"Kakkarot!" Finally Kakkarot appeared behind Krillen and together they blasted the circle that was gathering around them to H.F.I.L

"Krillen, what happened to you leg?" Krillen could hardly hear Kakkarot over the horrifying sounds of war, but he sounded alarmed, and he could see where he was pointing. Looking down at his leg, Krillen swore, he hadn't even until now he had been so sidetracked that he hadn't even noticed the huge blast wound on his leg and the blood that was gushing out of it like a river. Krillen suddenly felt faint and a wave of pain rushed through him

"Quick get to the med hut now! I'll hold things down here until you get back!"

Krillen nodded through the pain and flew off towards the house that had been dubbed the 'med hut'

Inside it was hot, smelly and loud. People were crying out in agonizing pain and Namekian healers were running around like crazy, much to much work for them to handle. They had been working with out a break for 7 hours now, using the amazing ability to heal the warriors, but even then, there were some they just couldn't save, they had been hurt to badly to be saved, missing arms or legs or even both, it was a gruesome sight to behold.

Krillen stood just inside the doorway he was hot, thirsty, sweaty and in a gross amount pf pain. It was only a matter of seconds before one of the Nameks noticed him and rushed over.

"I need some help over here" she shouted and one of her comrades rushed over.

"Get this guy on a bed and bring him a glass of water"

The women nodded and with little effort at all, picked Krillen up and gently deposited him one of the only empty beds. He was only faintly aware of what was going on around him, but he could hear the explosions outside as clear as day. Then, there was a hot, almost burning sensation on his leg, his initial reaction was to jump, he thought he had been hit again, but he saw that it was the women from before, a soft yellow light was being emitted from her outstretched hands and it was healing his leg, then the second woman was at his side. "Here you go young man, you look like you could use this"

"Thank you" Krillen said, his voice full of gratitude, he took the glass off the woman and drank down all the cold liquid in one gulp

"Would you like another, sir?" the woman asked

"It's Krillen," he said "yes please". Collapsing back onto the pillow, Krillen panted for breath, his leg still hurt and he was feeling dizzy from blood loss.

"Sir, I'm sorry this is taking so long. It's just I'm so worn out, please accept my apology"

Krillen half sat up and smiled at the young women "Thank you," he said "for healing my leg, without you we surely wouldn't stand a chance in this battle, you are the real hero's here"

The woman smiled and turned back to the task at hand

~

Kakkarot landed on his rear end with a thud, he was getting really mad, why wouldn't these freaks die? They were purple! Purple for god's sake, and they were so small, yet for small things, they sure packed a mean punch, and there were so many of them, right now, while Kakkarot was sitting on the ground rubbing his rump a circle of them was forming around him. He groaned, stood up and pulled his hands to his side, clasping them there

"KA-ME-HA," he maneuvered his hand around to the front, preparing to use a technique his grandfather had taught him when he was just a boy "ME-HA!" he shouted and a fierce blue beam shot forth from his hands, disintegrating everything in it's path, within mere seconds Kakkarot's assailants were nothing more than memories.

Wiping a trail of blood from his mouth he looked around at the devastating scene. Everything had been so beautiful before, so peaceful, so green, so homely. But now, looking around in this rare moment of peace, he felt tears well up in his eyes. The river, which had once been flowing with clear drinking water, was now floating with carcasses and the water was a dark reddish colour from all the blood. Then small little huts were now nothing more than piles of rubble, and the few that were left standing were all smashed, and on fire. So many families had lost everything they owned, all their possessions and to many of their lives had been taken, for Kakkarot one innocent life lost was to many, and here looking around him, he could see lifeless green bodies everywhere, and even worse, most of them were children, their little bodies to weak to withstand the initial blast. It brought some relief to Kakkarot to know that they hadn't even felt it, they had all been sleeping, so it had been a quick and painless transition for them, but still, that only offered him the smallest consolation.

***

Chi-chi was sitting at a table watching Bulma slowly move down the line in the cafeteria. They could of gone to the kitchen and had Chi-chi's cooks whip them up something, but Bulma claimed she didn't have enough time for that, so they had decided to come to the employees lunch room, so Bulma – an employee of the palace, could get some lunch, and since Chi-chi had no intentions of just watching her friend eat, Bulma was filling up two trays.

It wasn't long before Bulma was back at the table and sitting down, it was a big room, 3 off the walls faced outside with and were made of glass, giving a lovely view of the palace ground, with it's lush green grass, beautiful flowerbeds with flowers that bloomed all year round and a big crystal blue lake. The sky was blue today, and big fluffy white clouds rolled lazily across their line of sight.

Bulma rested her head in her hand and smiled, looking out the window, while it may have looked warm and inviting out there, it really was quite cold, in fact right now, Chi-chi was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a white tee-shirt, a wooly pink sweater and a long white scarf. Winter had officially ended 2 days ago, but it was still cold.

"So," said Bulma as she poked at her lunch with the plastic fork she had been given by the cafeteria staff. She had heard the news about the boys, not only had it been on the front cover of every newspaper that morning, but it had been all over the T.V and radio as well, and of course Chi-chi had informed her of the situation, it was a very grim and nervous time for the people of Vegeta-sei. "How are you feeling?"

Chi-chi only shrugged her shoulder, "Fine I suppose" she said as she pushed her food around her plate, feeling anything but hungry right now.

"Yeah, what do you mean by fine?"

"I mean I feel like shit"

"Me too. I'm not hungry. What do you say we go outside for a little while? The fresh air might do us good"

Chi-chi was already half way out of her seat before Bulma even finished speaking "Let's go"

Outside, Chi-chi and Bulma sat on a wooden bench under the shade of a big oak tree. Bulma was right, being outdoors and breathing in the fresh crisp air was helping to calm her nerves already. Now all she needed was a distraction.

Bulma was going to ask Chi-chi how the preparations for the party were going, but she didn't think that now would really be the most appropriate time to bring up Kakkarot. Looking at her best friend, she noticed that she already looked liked she was about to cry, that last thing she wanted was to make it worse for her. She missed Vegeta, and they were only friends…well she assumed they were only friends. So she couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for Chi-chi, having her first true love torn away from her like that, with no idea if he would ever return or not. It must have been devastating for her.

She glanced down at her watch and blinked, was it really that late. How long had they been sitting out here exactly.

"Chi," she said standing up "I've gotta get back to work"

"Can I come to? I don't really want to be alone"

Bulma flashed Chi-chi a comforting smile and reached out her hand to help Chi-chi off the seat, "sure you can," she said, "let's go"

***

18 opened her eyes and looked around, she sat up and noticed that she was in Krillens bed. It smelt like 17 now though, and for some reason, that depressed 18.

"Oh hey, you're up" she heard 17's voice from the other side of the room. "I was wondering how much longer you would be out for"

"My head hurts" she groaned.

"I'll bet it does," 17 agreed "but Bulma checked you out, you'll be fine if you just rest"

18 tried to sit up, but the pain shot from her head all the way down her spine so she had no choice but to lay back down "I have work to do, I need to get to work, Chi-chi will kill me"

17 walked in off the balcony and shut the doors behind him, then he came and sat on the edge of the bed beside 18 "Done." He said, "Me and Tar took care of it first thing this morning"

"Really?" 18 asked with a sigh of relief "Thanks"

"Anytime sis, it was the least we could do" he said with a smile. He knew in a few minutes he was going to have to tell 18 about the men up on Namek, and he knew it would hurt her, but she couldn't go on not knowing.

"18" he said seriously, "I have to tell you something"

18 first reaction was to assume that something was wrong with Taries baby, but 17 wouldn't be so calm about that, no it had to be something else, logical thinking eliminated that possibility "what?" she asked

"Yesterday at about 4 o'clock out time, Frieza got to Namek, it's all over the papers. There have already been casualties, no identifications of who yet though"

18 suddenly felt like she was going to throw up. What if it was Krillen, it couldn't be him, not her Krillen. "You're kidding me right?" she asked, hoping against everything in her entire being that he was kidding.

"I'm not kidding. I can show you the paper if you want"

"No thanks. I don't feel so good"

17 looked at his sister, she suddenly gone so pale, she looked like a ghost "are you going to be ok?" he asked

18 nodded, she was on the verge of tears, but she didn't want 17 to see her cry, but he didn't because a welcome distraction walked into the room, holding a duster. Tarie. She instantly noticed 18's condition and rushed over to the bed, switching into her sympathetic friend mode.

"Out 17, we need a girls moment"

"What, but why?" asked 17 extremely confused.

"Because I said so," she said thrusting the duster into his hands "now go and clean something and come back later". 17 didn't need to be told twice, he didn't want to get in trouble so he left.

"18," Tarie whispered as she crawled onto the bed, "I'm so sorry you had to wake up to that. Come here"

18 sat up and blinked back tears, she felt the warmth spread through her as Tarie wrapped her in a friendly hug, which was just what she needed. Within seconds she was crying on Tarie shoulder, letting all the pent up hurt out.

"Why him?" she asked through her sobs "he's the first good thing to happen to me in my entire life, why did they have to take him away from me?"

Tarie had been expecting an outbreak like this from 18 sooner or later, ever since she had arrived to them, almost a year ago she had had a cold hard exterior, never letting anyone see her true emotions and always trying to be braver than she needed to be. She led a hard life full of pain, misery and suffering, but it all had to come out sometime.

"Don't worry," she soothed "everything will be ok. You just have to believe it will"

"But I can't, everything bad happens to me, so why not this?"

"Because this is different. Trust me, if love is meant to be, then nothing can come between it, and I know that you and Krillen are meant to be. He'll be home soon 18, really soon"

***

"Here, put these on and you can help me over here" said Bulma and she threw a pair of safety goggles and a lab coat at Chi-chi.

"They'll mess up my hair" she complained, but pulled them over her eyes and slipped into the jacket anyway.

Bulma was in the middle of testing one of her new concoctions; Chi-chi didn't dare ask what it did, because last time she had done that, she had gotten a half hour lecture on the molding capabilities of compound X, and Bulma trying to explain that to Chi-chi was just a waste of both of their time.

"So," chi-chi eagerly rubbed her hands together, "What can I do to help"

"Um," Bulma paused as she carefully inserted a single drop of some clear liquid into the pale green stuff in the beaker. "You can pass me some paper towel, a microscope and a fire extinguisher"

"A fire extinguisher?" Chi-chi asked raising an eyebrow

"Yes"

"Okay" Chi-chi drew the word slowly and lifted the small device off the wall.

"All right, stand back" warned Bulma, Chi-chi did as she was told and took a rather large step backwards. Bulma pulled her goggles down and also stepped back, then a few seconds later, smoke started to arise from the beaker and a loud explosion sounded, much to loud for the tiny beaker it had come from. Bulma coughed and waved the smoke away from her face, and then she began to laugh. "Wow, she said, I didn't expect it to react like that"

"Like what?"

"I didn't know the explosion would be so big"

Chi-chi smiled and lifted her goggles; Bulma had big dark smudges on her cheeks. She stated to laugh

"What? What's funny Chi?" She asked

"Oh…um nothing" she said with a giggle.

Bulma rested her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side "I know that's not true".

Chi-chi opened her mouth to say something, but an announcement was called over the P.A system.

"A message to Miss. Bulma Briefs of research. Could you please head to the reception of the science and technologies wing, you have a package to collect. Repeat, Miss Briefs to the science and technologies reception. Thank you"

"Ah, my package. I was wondering when that would arrive" Bulma said to herself as she removed the safety glasses, sending Chi-chi into hysterics. It was now obvious to Bulma what was so funny.

"Oh I see, I have black all over my face. That's so funny" she said sarcastically. In the science fields, getting dirty was almost an hourly occurrence. She walked over to the basin, and washed her face clean then with Chi-chi in tow, they headed towards reception.

~

Yumcha smirked to himself, trying not to laugh; he couldn't believe how easy it had been to get inside the building. All he had to do was beat up the courier, put his clothes on and walk inside, as easy as that. Now he stood in the lobby, waiting for Bulma to arrive. He looked through the glass doors and down the corridor he could see through them, no sign of her yet.

He clutched the package in his hands a little tighter, not at all nervous about seeing her, just a little anxious. Would she even recognize him?

Soon he could hear two peppy female voices, they were faint at first, then they got louder until finally both Bulma and Chi-chi walked around the corner. Bulma swiped her employee I.D card and the glass door slid open and the two women walked through.

As soon as Bulma walked into the room she knew something wasn't right, and it only took her another second after that to work out what. She gulped and her heartbeat quickened. What was he doing here? She stole a quick glace at his work shirt, and it didn't have Yumcha written on it, so he wasn't here legitimately.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to him, took the clip board and signed her name on it "What are you doing here?" she hissed

He sniggered at her, his hot breath tickling her ear. "Get rid of the princess, take me back to the lab, and I won't hurt you" he threatened her. Bulma nodded and obliged, she was to scared to do anything else.

Walking over to Chi-chi, she said, "Uh Chi, I'll see you later ok. I have something I need to do"

Chi-chi was confused, but she nodded her head, said goodbye and headed out the main door nonetheless.

***

"Hey 17," Tarie stood side on in front of the dressing table, with the huge mirror, inspecting herself "am I starting to get fat?"

17, who had been sitting on the bed reading a newspaper and eating a bowl of rice, stood up and walked over to Tarie, he bent down and rested on his ankles, so his head was about equal with Taries waist. Before he gave his answer, he had to look at her stomach from several different angles, and poke it many times, causing Tarie to giggle and squirm. Once he had finished, 17 stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Well?" she asked

17 nodded "It's starting to show, a few more weeks and we'll definitely be able to tell"

Tarie smiled, Bulma had given her a rough estimate, and right now she was about 4 months pregnant. "Just think, only 6 more months and we're going to be parents".

17 brought his lips to hers and they shared a long passionate kiss, "it's pretty cool, isn't it?" he said when they pulled away

"Yeah. A tiny little life that we created, all of our very own. I hope we can be good parents."

"Don't worry about that Tar. We'll be the best parents there ever were" he said, thinking back to his own childhood. His mother, the most kind, beautiful gentle woman in the world. She was a delicate flower that had been crushed killed and destroyed by the evil that had been his father. The twins had narrowly escaped him, but their escape from him had only brought on their imprisonment here. Where they were undoubtedly doomed to spend the rest of their days.

"The best parents ever?" she asked skeptically.

17 nodded and flashed Tarie a bright smile, "That's what I said"

***

"What do you want Yumcha?" Bulma demanded to know as she stalked across the lab towards her desk, which he was sitting on, getting his grubby, incriminating fingerprints all over. Had Yumcha taken a closer look, he would of seen Bulma trembling. They were alone in the big lab; he could easily overpower her in here. But she wouldn't let him see that she was scared, her voice was strong and demanding, making it seem like she was in control of the situation. There were not many things that Bulma was scared of, but she was scared of him.

He began to laugh, "I want to thank-you Bulma"

She raised an eyebrow "A card would have been plenty"

"But where's the gratitude in that?"

"I don't want your gratitude Yumcha. Or your thanks. I want you to leave" she sneered, pointing to the door.

"I don't think so B. you see, it's gonna go like this, I'm going to thank you, and you're going to be thankful" he jumped off the desk and walked a close circle around Bulma, so close she could feel him breathing on her.

Then without warning, he gave her a hard shove in the stomach, and she stumbled then fell onto her desk, smacking her head on the computer monitor on the way down. She didn't have time to recover though, because Yumcha grabbed hold of her chin and yanked her entire body up.

"Thankful yet?" he asked as he kissed her neck

"Fuck off Yumcha" she hissed.

Yumcha scowled, raised his hand and slapped her, "wrong answer"

Bulma could taste blood in her mouth, her lip was bleeding. She needed to do something before things got out of control; her heart was pounding in her chest. But was it pounding from fear, or from the exhilaration of having her bad boy ex back, even if she didn't want him?

"Yumcha" she met his cold black eyes with her own shimmering aqua blue orbs.

The next thing she knew, his mouth was covering hers in a fiery kiss, and Bulma took that as her opportunity. She thrust her knee up and rammed it straight into his groin. She knew it was a low blow, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She climbed over the top of Yumcha and headed for the door, it would only be so long before the pain subsided enough for him to move out of the fetal position and stand up, and when he did, he would be mad.

She put her hand on the doorknob to twist it and open it, but Yumcha had locked the door, and her key was on the desk.

'Damn it' she thought to herself. Then she saw something that caught her attention and struck fear through her entire being. A bright light reflecting in the glass of the door, a Ki orb. 

And she couldn't escape…

***

A/N; dun dun dun…what's going to happen to Bulma? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And also I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year and that Santa brings all of you lots of great stuff.

*Eeep* I only need one more review to get to 200 hundred…wow!

Next chapter up as soon as possible. And because it is close to Christmas and I am in a Christmassy (is that a real word) kinda mood tonight here is a little gift for you all…a preview of the next chapter

And Then You Know. 29

"Ari" he called to the blue haired giant, who was currently in the process of beating up an enemy, and he was doing a pretty good job of it to.

"Uh I'm kind busy over here mate" he cried back.

"Allow me" said Kakkarot and he blasted the purple devil into oblivion; he then quickly darted over to Ari before another one of them pounced on him.

"Ari listen to me. We aren't achieving anything here. We need to work as a team" Ari nodded in agreement. "Listen," Kakkarot continued, he had to shout over the sounds of battle to be heard though "I think if we go straight for Frieza, the rest of these freaks will just go back to wherever they came from"

"Whys that?"

"Because my people have been in the same situation as theirs. They are only working for Frieza because they are to scared not to. Think about it, if Frieza is gone, why do these guys need to keep fighting us?"

Ari indicated that he understood Kakkarot by nodding his head and giving Kakkarot the 'thumbs up' "I get it" he said, "Now what do you want me to do?"


	30. The Nightmares End

Disclaimer; Don't own it, and I really don't think my parents are going to buy me the right for Christmas. *Dang*

A/N; Well, I said I'd have two new chapters up by Christmas and I did! Even though I had to write this all over again after my computer went stupid on me and I lost everything! Stupid computers. Well, anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter since I had to put double the amount of effort into it. Hopefully another update will be soon ok! ~D.B

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 29**

Bulma couldn't escape. She could see the Ki behind her, and she only had one hope to get away. As quick as a flash, she bolted down the lab and disappeared into the darkness. Only seconds after she leapt out of the way of the door, the blast connected with it, smashing the glass. At least it would grab someone's attention.

Bulma's heart was thumping in her chest, she could hear Yumcha walking down the isle, smashing things, calling things out to her. She crossed fingers, then crossed her arms over her chest, and muttered a silent prayer to herself.

"Oh Bulma. Where are you?" she heard him call. Now she could see his shadow up against the wall and it was at that moment she realized that she should of killed him when she had the chance, he was a psychopath who should rightly be in prison. In fact, Bulma could have sworn that at one point, he had been in prison. On multiple charges of rape, drug use and trafficking and god knows what else. She forced herself further back into the shadows. Right now, Bulma seriously feared for her life.

~

Dr. Briefs was coming back from his lunch break, true, he was a little – or a lot late, but he didn't think Bulma would mind, she probably had her head in book, web page or some experiment anyway. He rounded the corner, and straight away, picked up on the broken glass on the floor. Picking up his pace a little, he headed towards the lab. He knew everything was probably fine, but still, he wasn't going to take any chances with his baby girl.

He quietly pushed open the door, somehow the lock had been broken as well as the glass, and he could smell smoke and melting plastic. He flicked on the light switch, and almost had a heart attack

With the turning on of the lights, had come a deafeningly high-pitched scream that could come from no one else but Bulma.

"Bulma!" he cried as he rushed towards the back of lab, but he wasn't as quick as he used to be, and by the time he reached Bulma, Yumcha was long gone.

"Oh my god, Bulma! What happened to you?" he was panicked and didn't know what to do. Bulma was slouched up against the wall, blood slowly trickling from her head down her face, and from her lip and her arms.

Dr. briefs quickly jumped up and took a wet cloth from near the sink and filled a glass up with water and handed it to her. As he was cleaning her face, he again tried to find out what had happened "Was this an accident?"

Bulma tried to open her mouth to speak, but the back of her throat was burning, and no amount of water could extinguish it. Her head had smashed against a shelf when she had tried to get up and again run from Yumcha and she had caused some sort of gas to pollute the air. It hurt her throat so bad.

"Ya…Ya" she chocked out

"Don't worry about it. I'm taking you home sweetheart"

***

"Final Flash!" boomed Vegeta, reducing 4 of Freiza's purple… things, to mere piles of dust. But another 5 were quickly on him. After almost 4 hours without a break, Vegeta was far to exhausted to form another blast, and was left with no other choice but to attempt defeating these goons with hand-to-hand combat. He was already beaten and bleeding, an open wound in his head caused blood to run down into his left eye, and mixed with an unhealthy amount of sweat, the blood never had a chance to clot and stop. And that wasn't the only wound he had that was currently oozing with the warm crimson liquid.

These guys would probably pound him in the ground, he could hardly see anymore. Vegeta had resorted to throwing wild punched, totally devoid of any aim or angle; he was just putting all his strength and energy into his wild arm and leg movements.

Then, all of a sudden, he wasn't surrounded anymore. "What the…"

"Vegeta, they almost had you there for a minute" it was Krillen, he had saved him from an almost certain death.

The first thing Vegeta noticed was that Krillen looked like shit, but really, who could blame him. This battle was just dragging on and on, after almost 37 hours of battle, no side had backed down, and no victor had risen up. And still, Frieza hadn't gotten his hands dirty, for the most part; he hovered above the ground, cackling like a maniac, leaving his minions to do his dirty work for him.

Krillen took hold of Vegeta arm and slung it over his shoulder, "C'mon. You need to rest for a while. You're useless like this" he said as he led Vegeta to the med hut. Once he had made sure that Vegeta was getting the attention he needed, he headed back out into the battle.

He was on his way across the now browned land, littered with carcasses, when he though he heard something. Instinctively, he flared his Ki up around him and dropped into a fighting stance. But what he heard wasn't a sound of battle. It sounded like a child. Taking a look around, his keen eyes picked up on a small opening between to rocks, and behind it, there was indeed a small child.

"Hey" he called as he ran over to the child "are you ok?"

The child seemed to know he was on his side, as it didn't seem scared, it was just crying uncontrollably. Krillen couldn't see their face, or tell what sex it was, as there face was buried in its arms.

"Hey, what's you name?" he asked

"Dende"

Krillen gasped. This was that kid, that little boy who had come up to them the other night and gotten in trouble. "Dende, where are you're parents?" Krillen asked resting a hand on the small boys shoulder

"My dad, he went off fighting. I don't know where he is" he said through his snivels. Krillens face paled, many of the Namekian warriors had offered their services and many had perished. There was a high chance one of them could be young Dende's father.

"Well you can't stay out here, it's unsafe. Come on I'll take you to the med hut"

***

18 was rather impressed with herself. It was only 3 o'clock and she had already finished everything on Chi-chi list. She chose to ignore the fact that today's list was unusually short.

Wiping her hands on her skirt, she looked around, at a loss of what to do next. There was nothing for her to do. If she really wanted, she could go downstairs and get some sleep, but then she wouldn't be able to sleep later. That only left a few option, and she decided that she would go outside and try to find her brother.

It was a cold day, despite the blue sky, and 18 found herself wrapping her arms around herself for extra warmth. It only took her about 5 minutes of walking around the grounds to find her brother. He was up in the air, holding a bucket and a sponge, cleaning windows. 18 laughed and lifted herself up into the sky to join him.

"Having fun?" she asked

17 jumped, "god 18, you scared the crap out of me!" he scolded her. 18 only laughed at him

"What are you doing out here?" 17 asked, obviously confused as to why his sister wasn't working.

"I'm finished" 18 casually replied with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Really?" 17 seemed stunned

18 nodded "Really"

17, who was almost finished this particular task anyway, decided that the job he had done was good enough, so he had no need for the bucket of luke warm, dirty water with a few soap bubbles remaining in it, and he couldn't see anyone else who might need it so –

"Hey 18"

"Yeah"

The next thing that could be heard was 18's high pitched, shocked and surprised scream, as 17 dumped the contents of the bucket on her head.

"17!" she shrieked, as he took off into the air. 18 quickly gave chase to him, zipping through the air trying to get her hands on him, though what she would do if she actually caught him eluded her.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked him as she wiped water from her eyes.

17 laughed at her, she looked ridiculous. "I felt like it"

18 shook her head "you are so immature" she said

"Why?" asked 17 "What's so immature about wanting to have a little fun?"

18 was at a loss, what do you say to that? What can you say to that? Her eyes dropped to the ground far below, and the annoyed look that had been present on her features before, was replaced with a totally blank expression. It was like all of a sudden, she had just totally stopped.

"18…?" 17 called to his twin

She looked up, blinked and smiled, but 17 could tell it wasn't a smile of happiness, she was worried about something. He drifted over to his sister and stopped just beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing," she shook her head, "Nothing at all. I'm going to go now ok. Tell Tarie I said hi when you see her" she turned her back on her brother and began her decent towards the ground.

~

18 walked through the cemetery, she didn't like being here at all, it brought back to many memories of a childhood she was trying so desperately to forget. Some of the graves here looked like they had gone unattended for years now, moss had grown over the tombstones, making the inscriptions illegible, weeds were growing around all around the burial site, and forgotten flowers that had been laid with good intentions had been left to wilt and die much like the memories they were honoring.

Well 18 would never let that happen to anyone she cared about. She walked down the concrete path towards Astrid's final resting place and lowered herself to the ground. She made a point of making sure that she stopped by at least once a week, twice if she possibly could.

"Hi Astrid" she said as she ran her hand along the top of the black, still relatively new marble tombstone. She picked up the flowers she had placed there last week, and replaced them with the one she had picked from the gardens on her way here.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, she felt an overwhelming sense of grief wash over her and instead of anything coming out of her mouth, a steady flow of fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Sure when she came here, she always felt more upset about the death of her friend, but today it was almost unbearable. Everyone around her was leaving her, First Astrid, and now there was a possibility Krillen wouldn't be coming back, so what next? Would something terrible happen to 17, Tarie or Nison? Or even worse 17 and Tarie's unborn baby. Was there some kind of a terrible aura surrounding her, where every single time there was even a glimmer of something good in her life, someone would have to get sick, leave or die.

"Astrid, I know you can hear me up there in heaven and I want you to listen. Please Astrid, bring Krillen home to me but even more importantly, please make sure 17 and Taries baby is ok. You would be so proud of them right now, I know you would, they are working so hard to make this work and I just know they are going to be really good parents" she paused and tipped her head back, looking straight up into the sky, looking beyond what she could see and what she knew was there. Into the area of the sky that only existed if your faith in it would allow it. Without tipping her head forward again she stood up and sighed. Then letting her head fall forward again, she wiped some tears from her face and said, "Tell mama I said I love her, Astrid"

***

He was hurt, bruised, beaten bloody and pissed off. It wasn't often that Kakkarot got so enraged that he hated anyone and everything, but this was one of those times. He was so sick and tired of fighting this battle, and the way they were fighting at the moment they were making no process at all.

"Ari" he called to the blue haired giant, who was currently in the process of beating up an enemy, and he was doing a pretty good job of it to.

"Uh I'm kind busy over here mate" he cried back.

"Allow me" said Kakkarot and he blasted the purple devil into oblivion; he then quickly darted over to Ari before another one of them pounced on him.

"Ari listen to me. We aren't achieving anything here. We need to work as a team" Ari nodded in agreement. "Listen," Kakkarot continued, he had to shout over the sounds of battle to be heard though "I think if we go straight for Frieza, the rest of these freaks will just go back to wherever they came from"

"Why's that?"

"Because my people have been in the same situation as theirs. They are only working for Frieza because they are to scared not to. Think about it, if Frieza is gone, why do these guys need to keep fighting us?"

Ari indicated that he understood Kakkarot by nodding his head and giving Kakkarot the 'thumbs up' "I get it" he said, "Now what do you want me to do?"

"Tell everyone to give up on these guys. Go straight for Frieza," he shouted "Straight for Frieza!" he repeated the most important part of the sentence.

"Ok" said Ari and he disappeared into the brown battlefield, which was drenched with the blood of their enemies and their comrades alike 

~

Krillen sunk to the ground and shut his eyes, trying to stop the tears leaking from them, but failing miserably. In front of him lay a big burly Sayian who had just breathed his last breath, bring the allied death toll to 10. 5 Sayians had lost their lives, as had 5 people from Ari's home planet of Bindoon and also 13 brave Namekian soldiers, who had so bravely offered their serviced had perished. When Krillen evened it out though, he realized that it could have been worse, there could have been total wipe out of the allies, or Frieza could have gotten word that they were waiting for him and detoured to another planet before they had time to beat him there. But still, seeing so many of the people you had gotten to know and made friends with bleed to death, missing arms and legs, or with huge gaping hopes shot right through the middle of their bodies, it really made you want to be sick.

"Krillen," he could hear someone calling his name off in the distance "Krillen!" it was getting closer. He opened his eyes and looked around, to see Ari dashing towards him. He quickly told Krillen of Kakkarot's plan and Krillen jumped up; suddenly he had renewed hope and eager desire to get this battle over with and go home.

"Go tell everyone" ordered Ari, Krillen did as he was told and rushed towards the med hut, picking up another wounded solider on the way.

~

Vegeta sat up on the bed and gulped down yet another glass of water. Thought due to the current situation, the Namekians had begun to ration the supply of water, and the amount they gave out to each man. Usually they would just go down to the river and get some water, but the river had become infested with blood, bones and bodies and was not suitable for drinking from, or anything else for that matter, which left them with only the water they had in their tank to keep them going and that was a dwindling supply.

"Vegeta!" his head snapped around and he saw his little brother rushing towards him.

"What?" he asked, "What's wrong"

"Kakkarot has a plan". Vegeta blinked that man was an oaf and he had no idea what Chi-chi saw in him, but he was an amazing fighter. It was as if he had a split personality, the regular dimwitted Kakkarot that would never hurt a fly, and the super fine-tuned fighting Kakkarot, with skills and abilities that Vegeta hated to admit, even surpassed his own skills.

He listen to Krillen pass on the message of Kakkarot's plan and had to admit that it made sense. Those purple things were only fighting so that Frieza wouldn't kill them; they probably had families to look after just like most the allied troops did.

Vegeta climbed off the bed and together with Krillen they walked outside, where it seemed that most of the other men had already gotten the memo. For if you titled your head just a little bit upwards, you would see about 70 men all fighting for their lives against the universes greatest ever tyrant, and in an amusing twist, it seemed that some of the purple warriors had also joined in and were helping the allies bombard Frieza and his ship with blast after blast after blast.

"C'mon Krillen, lets get up there!" said Vegeta and he leapt into the sky, and mere seconds later Krillen did the same.

~

"See, I told you this would work" said Kakkarot to Krillen during a brief moment of rest so both warriors could get their breath back before their next assault. Frieza was beginning to show signs of weakness, and it had only been 20 minutes, if things kept going at this rate, they would be able to go home tonight.

They could hear Frieza cackling up in front of them, and it only served to enrage them even more. Kakkarot's nostrils flared and he charged towards Frieza, but Krillen grabbed hold of his chest amour and pulled him back

"Kakkarot stop. Look over there"

"Over where?!" Kakkarot snapped, breathing heavily

Krillen's voice was surprisingly calm "Behind Frieza. Look, it's Vegeta, and Frieza hasn't sensed him. If he can get close enough to blow his head off this will all be over.

The men weren't stupid though, they knew that if they stopped their assault, then Frieza would wise up to the fact that something was going on and then Vegeta would not only loose the perfect opportunity to put an end to this, Frieza would probably be much more cautious to watch what was going on behind him next time

~

Vegeta couldn't believe Frieza had been so stupid as to leave such a huge gap behind him, he also couldn't believe that the allies had been so stupid as to not completely surround him, but hey, he was only minutes away from destroying the greatest monster the universe had ever known. It had been simple really, all he had done was sneak off around the side of Freiza's stupid spaceship, rise into the air and sneak up behind him.

He was so close now, maybe 5 meters away. This was the most dangerous time though; he had to get closer still, and at the same time, power up a blast big enough to destroy Frieza. That shouldn't be to hard though, from here, he could see that Frieza was struggling and he would be to distracted worrying about protecting his front to pay much attention to his back, and after his rest in the med hut Vegeta was feeling relatively refreshed.

"Final Flash" he very quietly announced the blast, making it appear in his hands like magic, concentrating his energy, he made the ball progressively bigger as he got close and closer until he could actually hear Frieza talking to himself

'I don't believe this,' he though to himself 'I'm actually going to do it, I'm going to kill Frieza'

"Frieza!" he called as he lifted his arms arm, ready to fire the blast, he had never felt as good as he did right now.

Frieza began to turn around, but he never even got to see his killer, because before he had even fully turned around Vegeta released the white-hot ball of energy and disintegrated everything from his waste up.

And then it was all over, after an epic 40-hour battle, Frieza was dead before his body even hit the ground. There was a few seconds of shocked silence as it sunk in that they had won, it was all over, years of pain, suffering and torment had finally come to an end.

And it had been a relatively un-eventful end at that.

A rousing cheer rose from the men and from it Krillen emerged and charged across the sky to his brother

"You did it Vegeta!" he cried joyously "you actually did it!"

Vegeta blinked a few times and rubbed his head "I did it," he muttered to himself "I killed Frieza".

Nappa was next to fly up to the two princes "Prince Vegeta," he said with a deep bow, "that was amazing"

He only had one thing to say in reply to that. "Can we get of this planet now? I need a shower"

***

Chi-chi was woken to the sound of someone knocking on her door, and it continued to grow louder and more intense until she finally swung open the door, to reveal one of her fathers assistant's, who's name she couldn't recall

Chi-chi raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorframe, letting a big yawn escape her lips "What do you want?" she asked

"You father, he has news and wishes you to meet him in the throne room immediately"

Chi-chi snapped into attention, her father would only have news about one thing at this time of the night "I'll be right there" she said and shut the door in the messengers face.

She very quickly threw on a pair of white sweat pants and smoothed out the fur on her tail, then she dug her slippers out of the closet and ran down the hall towards the throne room

~

"Ah Chi-chi dear!" called the King when he saw Chi-chi walking up the red carpet towards the throne. "Come here, won't you?"

Chi-chi looked around the room, not comprehending what was going on, it seemed like a party of sorts "Papa, what's going on?" she asked, "What's happened?"

"Chi-chi, Frieza has been defeated. We just received word from Nappa; they are on the ship and heading home. It was along hard battle, but in the end it was none other than Vegeta who finished him off!" explained the King, the smile on his face as bright as Chi-chi could ever remember seeing it.

It wasn't long until there was a rather large gathering in the throne room, even at 6am news traveled quickly, and somewhere during that time, the cooks had been alerted, now there was a rather large selection of breakfast food for the impromptu guests to choose from.

Chi-chi could hear someone calling her, "Chi!" and just as she turned around, Bulma pounced on her and wrapped her in a tight in embrace

"Hi B-Chan!" she squealed and hugged her friend back, both of them clad in only sweat pants and tank tops

"You obviously heard the news?"

"Duh! Oh I can't wait for Vegeta to get home, though he's going to be the most popular guy on the planet, so he'll probably just forget about me"

"Aw B, that's not going to happen. Vegeta really likes you, trust me, I can tell"

"You think?"

"No I don't think. I know. Believe me, a sister knows these things"

Bulma smiled, and then began jumping up and down like a maniac Chi-chi placed her hands on her hips and laughed at her best friend.

Bulma couldn't contain her joy. "I can't believe they're coming home!"

***

A/N; Well what did you think? I know the fighting scenes weren't very good, but like I told you before, I'm not good at things like that, and I really did try to write something at least semi-good.

Oh and have any of you people heard of 'World Idol'… I think you probably should have. Well watch it! And vote for the Australian boy…GUY SEBASTIAN! Yay, I am officially herby creating the 'FF.net-voting-for-Guy-to-win-World-Idol-Club!' And before you tell me you just want to vote for your counties Idol to win… The voting system of the comp forbids you to vote for your own Idol, so vote for mine!! He looks just like my boyfriend (except my boyfriend don't have an afro) and he has an amazing voice. Remember: Vote for GUY! 

Well, now that's said, I'd love to know what you though of this chapter in a review. It can be my Christmas present! Well, I hope you all have a great Christmas, and I'll try to have a new chapter out before the new year.

P.S: If you are really bored, I'll post you a story of my entire Christmas day in my bio (obviously after Christmas) so you can all know how much a boring day I had ay my grandparents

Review please

~Deadly Beauty


	31. Home Coming

Disclaimer; I didn't get the rights for Christmas…I don't own DBZ…sob sob

A/N; Yay, new chapter! And I am very happy with this one. It's a special chapter. I really hope you all enjoy it heaps, I enjoyed writing it heaps. So please, have a read and tell me what you think.

~D.B

P.S – This chapter is dedicated to **Marie – **She constantly reviews my stuff, and always leaves me such beautiful reviews. I'm really touched that you enjoy my work as much as you do and I really hope you enjoy this special chapter just for you, Marie.

**And Then You'll Know**

**Chapter 30**

For a day that was forecast to be relatively warm and sunny, it sure was a freezing morning. Chi-chi stood out in the open air, even though she was dressed in a pair of thick blue jeans, a white tee shirt, a very expensive black jacket with dark blue fluff around the collar and her new denim ankle boots. She was still freezing.

Next to her, stood the King. He didn't look like he was freezing his butt of though, wrapped in about 6 layers of clothing, which his personal assistant had probably hand picked just for him.

The small select group of people who had been informed of the morning proceedings all stood in the courtyard, many of them hovering around the table that had been set up and adorned with oodles of hot drinks of just about every variety imaginable.

"Chi-chi dear, you look lovely this morning" commented Neha as she approached the younger woman's side, sipping from a cup of coffee as she did.

Chi-chi nodded graciously "thank-you" she said

"Are you excited?" Neha asked

"Very" replied Chi-chi, once again lifting her gaze to the sky, which was still sprinkled with early morning stars, the anticipation inside her constantly building.

"Chi" she heard a frantic whisper from somewhere behind her. Excusing herself from her conversation with Neha, she quickly made her way to the door, where Bulma was standing, smiling like some kind of an idiot.

"What do you want?" she asked, knowing what the answer would be before she even asked the question.

"Can you get me out there? Please," her eyes were desperately pleading, "I need to see him"

Chi-chi rolled her eyes, she just couldn't say no to Bulma, especially when it was a matter like this. She linked her arm through Bulma's and sighed "C'mon then, but if papa kills me, I'm coming back to haunt you"

"Deal!" Bulma said, grinning from ear to ear.

~

"You must be proud of you boys then, huh?" Bardok said to the King, who nodded in response

"I couldn't be any prouder of any of my children. They have all been model representatives of the Royal Family throughout this entire ordeal"

"I know Chi-chi is excited that this is almost over"

"She just wants your son back," Bardok chuckled "she has planned a fantastic ceremony for tomorrow night though" explained the King.

"I don't doubt you".

"Papa," called Chi-chi as she and Bulma walked over to the two conversing men "Bardok," she greeted him "Papa, is it possible for Bulma to join us? Surely it won't inconvenience anyone to much will it?"

The King shook his head, "No, it won't. I think it will be fine for her to stay"

Bulma couldn't contain it and like a big smile broke out onto her face "Thank you your highness, thank you very much" 

"That's quite ok. Please, help yourself to some coffee. You to Chi-chi"

"Thanks papa" said Chi-chi, and she reached up onto her tiptoes and gave her father a peck on the cheek, and then both she and Bulma disappeared into the small crowd of no more than 70.

Radditz was standing by the beverage table, rubbing his hands vigorously over the top of the silver thermos that contained the hot water for the hot drinks. "Bit cold there eh Radditz?" Chi-chi asked as she pulled a polystyrene cup off from the pile and filled it with coffee water and milk

"Just a little" he replied

"But you have so much hair to keep you warm" said Chi-chi sarcastically, she never really had clicked with Radditz, and she liked to pick on him, rubbing it in that she was better than he was and such.

Radditz rolled his eyes, Chi-chi could be such a brat sometimes, he often found himself wondering what Kakkarot saw in her, she wasn't particularly nice or friendly, she was very self centered and arrogant, really the only good things she had going for her were her fathers wealth and her good looks.

~

"What's the time Chi?" Bulma asked as she did up the buttons on her jacket and shoved her hands into her pockets.

Chi-chi looked down at her watch and her eyes grew wide "It's 5.30" she said, "They should be back any minute!"

Bulma gasped and the two girls rushed through the small group towards the King, as he was obviously going to be at the very front of the crowd, and both girls knew that with him, they were guaranteed the best view, as no one wanted to get in his way.

"I'm so excited Chi" whispered Bulma, tucking her hair behind her ear

"Me to B, I can't wait to see Kakkarot"

Bulma turned her gaze to Chi-chi and shot her a questioning glare "What about your brothers?" she asked

"I suppose it will be good to see Vegeta, Krillen I'm not really fussed with"

Bulma shook her head and sighed inwardly, why didn't Chi-chi see that brothers and sisters were a blessing? Bulma had lost her sister and would give anything to have her back again. Chi-chi could be such an ignorant fool sometime.

"Oh my god, Bulma look!" Chi-chi tapped Bulma on the shoulder and pointed up into the sky "Up there, it's them!"

An odd hush fell over the group as they all craned their necks up and slowly but surely they watch the big Sayian spaceship make it grand decent from the dark night sky on the big landing platform. It was quite an amazing thing to witness, heroes of war returning from battle, but the relief they all felt when the ship came into sight and they knew it was all over, was indescribable

***

"Kakkarot, we're home!" Krillen almost squealed, sounding to girly for anyone's liking

"I know that" said Kakkarot as he followed Krillen down the hall to the briefing room, for one final meeting before they headed outside to their loved ones. They took seats in the front of the room, next to Vegeta who was already seated and had his duffel bad resting between his feet, ready to leave this ship, he desperately needed a change of scenery

"Men," Nappa called the group to attention "As you can see, we are home, or in the case of those of you from Bindoon, at you accommodation until after tomorrow nights ceremony. Before I let you go, just let me say how immensely proud I am of all of you, you have been nothing less than heroic and done your planets and people proud. You deserve all the praise that is waiting for you out there, but please, don't screw up all you have done now, by letting it get to your head. Also, I have one final request, Price Vegeta, if you wouldn't mind coming up here"

Vegeta blinked, he didn't want to get up there, he wanted to get outside, something in here smelt seriously off, still he stood up and took a step forward, not really knowing was going on.

"As you _all_ know, it was Prince Vegeta who delivered the final assault, so I think before everyone else gets a chance, we need to show him our appreciation. Everyone 3 big, noisy cheers for Prince Vegeta"

The boys filled the room with 3 rousing cheers, followed by a lot of hooting. Vegeta took Nappa's spot behind the make shift podium and repositioned the microphone. "Thanks," he said "But please, I've had just about enough of this prince crap, my name is Vegeta, that's it…nothing else, just Vegeta" he said and he sat back down, rolling his eyes as he did. Ever since he had blown that stupid morons head off people had been groveling to him, and that had been almost 2 weeks ago. Sure, he'd done something good, and so, he deserved some praise, but this was getting ridiculous. And there was not a doubt in his mind that he was going to be dealing with the press for at least another week, and they would probe with for all sorts of stupid questions that he would rather not have to answer. 

Stupid press, he hated the press

~

Back outside, the crowd was beginning to wonder what was going on, the ship had been on the platform for almost 7 minutes, and still, nothing had happened. Chi-chi was about to break the eerie silence and ask her father if anything was wrong, when a hissing sound began to sound from under the ship, and the door slid open, and from that, came a ramp, which as soon as it hit the ground, men started walking down it. Most went straight to their families, succumbing to the kisses and embraces they had to offer and inevitably, comforting them and wiping away their tears.

Bulma and Chi-chi stood quietly waiting for their boys to emerge down the ramp. The first to come down was Krillen, and he was chatting with Ari, they were laughing and mucking around, happy to be home. Even Chi-chi had to laugh when she saw her younger brother, it looked like he hadn't shaved for a few days, since the lower half of his face was covered in stubble.

"Hey Krillen, wait for me!" Chi-chi's eyes lit up, that was Kakkarot's voice, and sure enough he burst out of the ship and ran to catch up with Krillen and Ari, he also, was in desperate need of a shave, with what looked like about 2 or 3 days of stubble.

"Kakkarot!" Chi-chi called out to him.

"Chi!" he cried and rushed over to her, picking her up and spinning her around in wild circles, before pulling her close to his warm body in an embrace that was so tight it almost crushed her, but she didn't say anything.

"I missed you so much" she chocked out in between the huge amounts of tears that were gushing from her eyes.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here now, I'm back. It's all over. Everything's going to be ok" he said, hugging her just a little tighter.

Bulma's eyes were still fixated on the ship. Vegeta was standing on the ramp, slowly making his way down, Nappa right behind him. There was no doubt about it, this was Vegeta's moment, his time to shine and no one could take that away from him. He was trying to push his way through the crowd to get to his family, but everyone wanted to shake his hand and congratulate him on his monumental achievements on Namek.

Slowly he made his way towards her, when he was close enough to actually see her and differentiate her from the sea of other people wanting a piece of him, his eyes locked on to hers and neither of them tore there gaze away until they were standing mere centimeters away from each other.

Bulma could feel the moisture in the corners of her eyes, but she really didn't want to cry, she didn't want Vegeta to think she was weak. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but suddenly she was stopped, robbed of air for almost 5 seconds. By the time she realized it was Vegeta lips fiercely pressed against her own, it was over and Vegeta had walked off, to greet his father.

She stood there absolutely dumbfounded, yet very happy. "Welcome home Vegeta," she muttered to herself, touching her lips which were still moist from Vegeta's powerful kiss.

***

"We have to be quiet. It's not even 6am yet, everyone is still asleep" said Krillen as he lead Ari down the halls of the palace.

"Where's your room?" asked Ari, looking around the palace in absolute awe, back on his planet, he was only a simple villager, who worked in a store which specialized in selling parts for hover cars. The people of his planet could fly, and all were trained in it, but the majority of the citizens chose to save that special ability for battle and drove hover cars.

"My room is back there, but we can't use it," replied Krillen, pointing over his shoulder, he remembered what 18 had told him during their satellite connection, 17 and Tarie were in there.

"We'll go down to the guest rooms, we can shower and clean up in there"

"Great" Ari said eagerly.

It wasn't long before Krillen was clean, in comfortable clothing and nicely shaven, he picked up a comb and attempted to tame his unruly hair, as usual his success was very limited.

"Oh Ari I forgot, you can you the bathroom now. You'll find something to fit you in the closet so don't worry about that. I can pretty much assure you that I wont be here when you get back, but feel more than free to do whatever you want, explore the palace, get something to eat, stay right here and crash in the bed, it's up to you. The only thing you can't do is go into the throne wing. That's where my father conducts all of his business from, other than that, enjoy everything the palace has to offer"

Ari smiled and turned off the T.V "Where you going dude?" he asked

Krillen smiled brightly, a glow in his eyes Ari had never seen before "I'm going to go see 18"

Ari looked confused "Why wasn't she outside earlier?" he asked

Krillen shook his head "Don't you worry about it man, I might explain it to you later ok. I gotta split" he said and he practically ran out of the room.

***

Sunlight was just starting to shine into the cold cobblestone complex that 18 and her friends called home. 18 was still fast asleep as were most of the others, but a few of her friends were beginning to stir. It was around this time they usually began to wake up.

Krillen pushed open the doors as quietly as possible and he quickly made his way through the rooms towards 18. He arrived there quickly, and when he finally saw her, he could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat. She was lying with her back to him, fast asleep. The blankets had fallen of the bed, exposing half her body and he could see she was wearing the tank top he gave her.

He walked around to the other side of the bed so he could see her face, and it was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again, and she literally took his breath away. Sleeping, she looked so peaceful, like she didn't have a care in the world. God he had missed her, he was so hopelessly in love with her, a lost cause who didn't ever want to be found.

He got onto his knees, so he was more at eye level with her, and merely watched her sleep for a few more minutes, until he couldn't stand not to be looking into her crystal blue eyes anymore.

"18" he whispered, and reached out and ran his finger down her cheek, "18"

Very slowly 18 became aware of something going on around her, but she could have been dreaming, nothing good ever happened to her in reality. "18". There, she heard it again, a soft, kind voice whispering her name.

He heard a small groan emit from her prefect cherry lips and grinned, she was waking up! Success! She scrunched her eyes up as the light began to shine through and irritate her, and she groaned louder.

"18, open your eyes"

18 knew that voice. She slowly forced her eyes open, and sure enough there was someone in front of her, she blinked a few times to clear the fuzziness out of her eyes and slowly her eyes traveled up from the persons mid section to their face.

And when she saw who it was, she was sure she was still dreaming.

"Krillen?" she asked, in sleepy amazement

"The one and only"

18 smiled brightly, despite her drowsy state. Could this really be happening, could Krillen really be back from Namek. No, she had to be dreaming.

"Is that really you?" she asked, not believing that it was really him, until he could prove to her that she wasn't dreaming.

"I've missed you so much"

18 could feel moisture on her cheeks, but she didn't care, she reached up and flung her arms around Krillens neck and in a desperate attempt to be close to him. He sat down on the bed, never coming free from her iron grip, and in return, wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. "Don't leave me like that ever again" she sobbed on to his shoulder, creating a rather big wet patch on his nice clean shirt.

"18 it's ok. I swear it's ok" he soother her as he rubbed big slow circles on her back. This was the closest he had ever been with her, and he loved every second of it. Taking in everything about her, from the feel of her wrapped in his arms, to the sweet smell of her hair, this was amazing

"Don't cry. Please don't cry. I feel bad enough for leaving you already" he said.

With one last squeeze, 18 pulled away from Krillen and looked at him through a tear-blurred gaze "I'm not crying because you left. I'm crying because you're back. I've been a mess this past month"

"18, I don't know what to say" Krillen was at a loss for words. She really did feel the same way as him. There were no words to explain how happy he felt right now. He reached out and carefully wiped the tears off of 18's pretty face. He was amazed that he had managed not to cry.

"So," he asked, moving around on the bed, so he could more comfortably embrace 18, which he did. "Did you like all of the things I got you?"

"They were lovely" she replied, snuggling against his warm body

"What was your favorite?" he asked, not expecting the answer he got

"The letter" there was a long silence before 18 spoke again. "It was special to me in so many different ways. Like a piece of your soul especially for me"

There was another pause as Krillen thought about what to say next. "You know how I feel about you, right?" he asked

18 blinked slowly "I…think I do"

"I…" he stopped, beaten by his nerves. _'C'mon Krillen'_ he thought to himself. '_You need to tell her – right now! Then that's the hard part over with, but if you don't, who knows what you'll loose'._ Krillen blinked, his conscious was right. He had to tell her right now, no holding back "I love you"

18 felt the greatest feeling of relief wash over her when those 3 little words left his lips; it felt like she had been waiting an entire lifetime for him to say it. She smiled up at him and took a deep breath, what she was about to do took a lot of courage, she was going to completely tear down the emotional barricade she had spent so long getting in place. All for one man. But she loved him, she knew she did, and he deserved to know it as well "I love you to Krillen"

"Really?" he asked, his voice full of hope. She nodded, "really"

"Sooo..." Krillen drew out the word, "If I were to kiss you right now, you would have no objections, because you love me, right?"

18 rolled her eyes, nodded and smiled "right" she said.

Krillen was amazed things had worked out so well, this was the beginning of something more than beautiful, more than either of them could ever hope for. He gently cupped 18's chin in his hand and titled her head upwards, then brought his lips down to cover hers, to share their first magical kiss. It was a beautiful moment, there in the early morning sunlight, the single most amazing experience of either of their young lives. They may have only been 19, and many would rival that 19 was too young to love. But both Krillen and 18 had seen and been through so much more than most 19 year olds that they had the maturity of people twice their age.

Finally they pulled away from each other, both a little out of breath and neither knowing what to say.

"I liked that" 18 finally spoke up

Krillen laughed quietly and kissed her on the forehead "me to babe, me too"

"Shit!" 18 suddenly killed the mood by swearing loudly and jumping out of bed.

"What?" Krillen asked, sounding alarmed.

"I need to get to work, Chi-chi will pound me if I'm late" she panicked as she pulled on her skirt and top, then quickly dashed out the room.

Only to return seconds later, to kiss Krillen one last time and say "see you later" then she was gone. Leaving Krillen grinning stupidly behind her.  
  


***

"Tarie, are you going to fit into that?" asked 18 as she pulled on her new black skirt and did the buttons on the front of her pristine white shirt up.

"Are you calling me fat?" asked Tarie, leaving 18 in an awkward situation.

"Well…um…er…no" replied 18, much to Taries amusement.

"It's ok 18, I know what you mean. Don't worry though, I'll fit into this, I'm not that pregnant yet" she said. 18 flashed Tarie a bright smile, and then sat down on the bed to pull on her shoes and socks.

17 walked into the room then, he had his eyes closed out of respect for the females in the room "You decent?" he asked

"It's only me and 18 in here dummy" said Tarie

"I know that," 17 replied "but with all do respect, I don't really want to see my own sister without her clothes on"

"Good!" shouted 18 from across the room

They were down in the slave quarters, since that was where their new uniforms for the night's ceremony were being delivered, and 17 and Tarie were still slaves so they still had to work every single day, and this was no exception.

"Ok 17, we're dressed now". 17 opened his eyes and straight away noticed that his sister was in an unusually good mood. "You look awfully happy for someone who had to work"

"She gets to see her prince" Tarie supplied 17 with the answer as she wrapped her arms around his waist "you need to get changed"

"We've still got 15 minutes," he said with a laugh. 18 sat up and looked at him "Um, I don't know whose watch you were looking at, but we've got more like 5 minutes"

"Oh…"

"Yeah, so go get changed and me and 18 will meet you up there."

***

"So, are you're family going to be here?" Krillen asked, as he did up the laces on his pair of nice black shoes. The dress code had been dressy casual, meaning a nice pair of pants and a clean shirt…or at least that was what Krillen had interpreted it as. So he was wearing a pair of dressy black pants and a dark blue shirt with full-length sleeves, as well as a black jacket.

"Yeah," said Ari as he brushed down his light blue hair "and I'll tell you, I can't wait to see my girls again.

"You have two daughters yeah?"

"Yeah, a 5 year old and a 7 month old"

"That must be great?"

"It is. You think you've experienced the best life has to offer you, and then you become a father, and things just become so much more magical that you could ever dream possible"

Krillen nodded his head in agreement, he could relate to what Ari was saying – not about being a father of course, but the principal was essentially the same, when he was with 18, things were always 10 hundred times better than he ever thought they could be.

"Hey do you have the time?" Ari asked, watching Krillens reflection in the mirror.

"Uh yeah," he pushed up his jacket sleeve and glanced at his wristwatch "it's almost 7.30, we can head down to the function room now"

***

The King felt his heart flutter when he spotted Queen Kahlia walking towards the function room that the slaves had converted into a beautiful array of sophisticated style. Her shiny, pale pink hair contrasted beautifully with the sparkly, slinky black dress she was wearing.

"Ah, Queen Kahlia. It's a pleasure to see you, as always" he said as he kissed the back of her hand.

The queen giggled and blushed, feeling quite embarrassed. "Your majesty, you're too kind" she said as he led her to her seat.

"Look at him, all over her. It's disgraceful" Chi-chi whispered to Bulma, leaning over in her seat, and obviously referring to her father

"Why?" asked Bulma "Why is it wrong for you father to be happy?"

Chic-chi shuddered, it was her father they were talking about, of course it was wrong! And wrong on so many levels!

Bulma shook her head and changed the subject. "They boys should be making their grand entrance soon". Looking up at the clock on the wall, she realized Bulma was right.

The way they had planned the ceremony was for all the invited guest to arrive a half-hour before the proceeding were due to start, so they would all be comfortably seated and ready. Then at 7.30, the King would take the stage and announce each of the boys' names. That would be their cue to enter the function center – to applause of course, and take their designated seat at the table especially for the guests of honor.

***

Krillen sat at the table in between Vegeta and Ari, merely playing with his soup, not eating it.

"What's wrong Krillen, aren't you hungry?"

"No," Krillen sighed as his eyes followed 18 around the room, everywhere she went he was with her "it's not that I'm not hungry, I just don't want to eat"

"I see" said Ari, clearly not getting it.

Soon, 18 disappeared into the kitchen and Krillen fell out of his trance, returning to his usually peppy self "So," he said "Where is your family?"

"Over there" Ari pointed to a table with a few families from Ari's planet seated around it.

"Have you said hi yet?"

"Haven't had the chance" Ari said, he sounded depressed

"Wanna introduce me?" asked Krillen

"When, now?"

"Sure, why not?"

The smile on Ari's face grew so wide Krillen was sure his face might crack, the got up out of their seats and walked across the big room

"Desta!" cried Ari.

Krillen stood back and watched on happily as a woman with very dark blue hair squealed, jumped up and flung herself into his friends open embrace, and mere seconds later a small girl, almost identical to her mother was in his arms as well.

"Krillen, Krillen come over here" Ari told him.

"Hello, it's lovely to meet you, I'm Krillen" he introduced himself to the women who he assumed was Desta, and held out his hand for her to shake. She gracefully took hold of it and bowed deeply, surprising Krillen

"Prince Krillen, it's an honor to meet you."

Krillen laughed and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand "that's not necessary".

"Krillen, this is my wife Desta and this is Sharnie" he indication to the small girl in his arms, who had suddenly gone shy and buried her face in the fathers shirt. Krillen laughed. "And I assume someone is looking after Sachi back home"

Desta nodded "We've all missed you, and we are so proud"

Krillen tuned out around that time, his mind only ever drifted to one thought though. She was blonde, had blue eyes, and loved him. He was the luckiest guy on the planet, that was all there was too it. He was lucky; everyone else was not, because 18 loved him and only him. He still couldn't quite believe it was true, that 18 reciprocated his feelings and emotion. She loved him – him! The prince that all his life had felt like he never belonged anywhere, and now he knew why. He had never been where 18 was, and anywhere she was, was the only place he belonged. By her side for all eternity.

Suddenly he was jolted back into reality by the feeling of someone tapping him on the shoulder, he looked to his left, which was where he had felt it, and no one was there, so naturally, he turned to look to his right, and there sure enough 18 was heading back towards the kitchen.

He smiled and shook his head, then decided to leave Ari and his family in peace for a while and resume his seat next to his brother.

~

18 walked into the noisy kitchen, depositing her tray of empty drinking glasses on the counter, then rested against the counter herself for just a second. She was exhausted.

"Hey 18, are you ok?" asked Nison, approaching her.

"Yeah, just a little light headed," she replied "Nothing unusual"

"You need to get some sleep" Nison stated matter-of-factly

18 raised one of her blonde eyebrows and looked at Nison like he was some kind of an idiot "What are you,?" she asked "Stupid?" as soon as the words left her mouth she knew it was to harsh

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized "that was uncalled for"

"It's ok, don't mention it" replied Nison, though it was obvious he was upset

"Your right, I do just need more sleep. I'm sorry I snapped like that" she apologized one more time, then picked up a fresh tray of drinks and exited the kitchen.

17 walked walking around in between the tables, collecting used crockery, empty glasses and general rubbish that had been left by the guests. When 18 passed him on her way through he stopped her and asked "hey, have you seen Tarie anywhere?"

18 stopped, now that she though about it she hadn't seen Tarie since about quarter to 8, and now it was almost 8.30 "No," she said, looking around the room, a hint of worry in her voice "I haven't"

"She told me she wasn't feeling to great," 17 thought out loud "maybe she went to go and lie down"

"Here" said 18, and she quickly dispensed the rest of her drinks to the people on the nearest table. I'll finish up here, you go check on her"

"Thanks sis, you're the best"

18 smiled, "I know".

She worked her way around the tables collecting trash, until eventually she reached Krillen, he was sitting alone. Ari was with his family; reporters had swamped Vegeta all night, and Kakkarot was over talking with his parents and Chi-chi.

"Hi," she said as she walked around to the front of the table and pretended to collect trash "where are your friends?"

Krillen shrugged his shoulders "around", he looked up at her and smiled "but you're here now"

She nodded and very briefly rested her hand on his "not for long, this is your night, not mine. I still have work to do"

"Can't you stop?" asked Krillen, it was a stupid question. If she stopped, someone would probably kill her.

"I don't think so" she said

"Do you know what time this thing finishes?" Krillen asked her

"Maybe about 11" she replied as she picked up some empty bowls and stacked them up on her little trolley

"Ok" Krillen said with a nod

***

"Papa, it's time to hand out the medals" Chi-chi leaned over and told her father, who was trying to woo Kahlia, and the worst part was it appeared to be working.

"Oh yes, so it is" he said as he pushed his chair back and walked up on to the stage, taking his place behind the podium.

Soon the audience grew quiet, they all knew this was the most important part of the evening, where they got to recognize and thank each and every one of the heroic warriors who had so bravely risked everything to save their people

"I would like to thank you all for making the effort to come out here tonight, especially our friends who have made the trip from Bindoon, we are especially thankful to you. Tonight is meant to be a joyous occasion, celebrating the death of a tyrant and the birth of a new era, one in which none of our planets will bow to Frieza and his merciless ways, where we will be free to raise children without the fear or an invasion. We, the Sayians know first hand what an evil like that can do to a planet, even now, 8 years after an attack that nearly wiped our people out, we are still rebuilding in some areas and our population is still lower than it once was. But not anymore" the King said with a smile "that night mare has come to and end, and we only have these 60 brave men we are here in honor of tonight to thank. We began with 70 men, and those 10 who were so unfortunately taken away from us will be remembered in a memorial service next week, but tonight it is about these fine young men." The King stopped, took a breath and picked a box up from the table beside him.

"Of course, all of what you see here tonight, is thanks to my only daughter Chi-chi, she had been working tirelessly these past 2 weeks to get everything ready, so I think it would be only fair to ask her up here to help me distribute the medals.

Chi-chi was shocked, but she got up and joined her father on the stage nonetheless. As the King called each man's name, they would walk up onto the stage and Chi-chi would hand them the medal in a small red box, then they would shake her hand, shake the Kings hand and sit back down. It didn't seem like something that would take all that long, but by the time they got through all 60 men, it had taken close to an hour.

~

Krillen sat at the table, looking at the small token of appreciation in a red box. It was a solid gold, 5 pointed star, with some kind of fancy pattern on it, and it was attached to a piece of blue material, which had a clip on it, so if you wanted you could clip it to yourself. He picked it up – it was quite heavy, and looked at the other side, the words 'Royal Palace of Vegeta-sei – Token of Bravery' were in scripted on it. _'What a crappy message'_ he thought to himself as he yawned.

"Isn't this thing cool?" Kakkarot asked Krillen as he dangled his medal from his fingers

"Yeah, I suppose it's ok" replied Krillen, really sounding like he didn't mean it. He looked across at Vegeta; he also, seemed totally uninterested in his 'token of bravery'

"What a load of crock," he said as he pushed then box away from him "father probably has about 300 of these things lying around from some other battle 50 years ago"

Krillen doubted they were actually that old, but there was no way he was going to believe that these things were actually new, of course their father would of found them lying around somewhere and thought he could trick them. It was almost the prefect crime. Except he forget that both Vegeta and Krillen we're not that stupid.

~

The night was winding down, almost everyone had gone home, really only the slaves were left in the room, stacking chairs, vacuuming, and in the kitchen washing dishes. Tarie and 17 had come back long ago, and both were in the kitchen, they should have been washing dishes, but instead, Tarie was sitting on the bench, and 17 was all over her, it was very inappropriate.

"Oh guys. Really, would you mind not doing that?" asked 18, clearly disgusted, as she walked into the kitchen, she had finished her jobs for the night, and was about to head downstairs with Nison

"What?" 17 asked as he helped Tarie off the counter

"You know that's not appropriate, at least wait until you're not in a room full of people next time" she said as she looked at all her unfortunate friends who had had to witness that.

"Sorry" 17 groveled, not wanting to get on his sisters bad side after all she had done for them

She only rolled her eyes, "no your not," she said, "I know you. C'mon Nison, let's go"

They walked down the cold halls under the palace towards their more than crappy accommodation, talking and laughing. Their little disagreement from before long since forgotten

"Here you go ma'am" said Nison in a stupid accent as he held open the door for 18. She walked through laughing so hard her sides were beginning to hurt, she was in a very good mood now, which was strange, because before she felt like she would of bitten off anyone's head if they even looked at her the wrong way.

She walked through the dark rooms, knowing them like the back of her hand, even in pitch black and walked towards her bed. She could see a figure illuminated by the moonlight.

"Krillen?" she asked "What are you doing down here, you should be in bed" she said, though she had to admit, she didn't want him to be any where else.

"I can't sleep without you" he said as he watched her slip out of her fresh new attire and into her sleepwear, which consisted of her underwear and a white singlet top. Then she crawled onto the bed and over to Krillen.

"You do realize your stuck here now" she informed him as she pulled the covers up over them both

"You can hardly call it being stuck if you want you be there" he replied as he kissed her cheek, "now go to sleep"

"Yes sir" she said as she closed her eyes, her unusually good mood only getting better.

***

A/N; So what did you all think? Was it good, bad, I'd love to know. How was your Christmas? I got a new digital camera, so if you wanna be my friend _and_ see pics of me now you can. My e-mail is kyliecool87@hotmail.com, I am known as Deadly Beauty on MSN messenger and KylieH 87 on AOL/AIM.

Well, leave a review please! 

~Deadly Beauty


	32. I Need You

Disclaimer; Don't own DBZ now, won't own it tomorrow, might own it the day after though…

A/N; New chapter is up! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, I really enjoyed writing it. Well, I hope you all had a great new year and didn't get too drunk, and I hope you all like this chapter.

All right, this chapter is dedicated to Kawaiisempai because he/she (sorry, I have no idea what sex you are, lol) said they like Guys singing too! Now, I realize you probably only said it to try and stop my shameless and no doubt annoying self-promotion of him. But that doesn't matter, because you said it anyway! And I will love you forever because of it. *blows you a kiss*. Well, enjoy your chapter! And also, thanks a bunch for constantly reading my story and liking it, it really does mean a lot to me!

~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

Chapter 31 

He stood just in the doorway, leaning casually against the arch. There was something about the sight in front of him that just wasn't right. 18 lay in her bed – normally enough. The odd part about it was just how close she was to Krillen; their foreheads were almost touching!

Sure, Nison had seen them share a bed together before, but not like this, usually Krillen would only be half on the bed, and on top of the blankets sleeping back to back with 18. Now they were both snuggly under the covers and his arm was resting protectively across her waist.

Scowling, Nison shook his head. He wasn't a dumb man; it was obvious what was going on. He had officially lost his chance with 18, and it was killing him, since everyday his desire to be with her grew stronger and stronger. It wasn't fair. Why should the prince be able to have her and not him? The way he saw it, if he couldn't have her, than no one could.

Nison knew that jealousy was a curse and that he should be happy for 18. But it was hard to be happy for someone when all you could think of was how miserable you were.

~

18 groaned and cracked open one eye. Krillen was still sleeping – she smiled, he looked cute when he slept. Rolling over, she saw Nison, who had clearly been watching her. While she did find that quite disturbing, she flashed him a sleepy smile anyway

"Morning" she said

"Sleep well?" Nison asked

"Quite well" she replied as she half sat up, and pushed her sleep tousled hair back off her face.

"Mmm" Krillen began to stir beside her and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow

"Hey," she prodded him in the side with her finger, "wake up".

Reluctantly, Krillen opened his eyes and sat up, then not so reluctantly took 18's face in his hands and kissed her. Nison rolled his eyes and took that as his cue to leave.

***

The sun wasn't even up yet, and already Chi-chi was busy. Kakkarot had spent the night with her, after the ceremony, and now Chi-chi had decided she wanted to cook him breakfast. Not many people knew that she had a passion for cooking, and that she was damn good at it as well. She remembered back when she was younger, much younger, she used to bake cookies with her mother, who had also thoroughly enjoyed cooking. That was probably where Chi-chi got her talent. She had yet to come across a dish that she couldn't master, from traditional Sayian cuisine to delicious delicacies from across the universe.

She quietly hummed to the tunes from the radio that was sitting on the windowsill as she prepared a feast that even Kakkarot wouldn't be able to get through.

Looking up at the clock on the wall she grinned to herself. Kakkarot would be walking up any minute. She put the last of the dishes on platters and put them onto a trolley, leaving her mess for 18 to clean up later. Then she pushed her little cart out the kitchen and down the hall towards her room

"Kakkarot" she quietly called as she pushed open the door to her room. Leaving the cart where it was, she pulled open the curtains and let in the dull morning light, it was a cloudy morning so the rays weren't to bad on her eyes.

She crept across the room and sat on the edge of the bed, she gently ran her hand through Kakkarot's sleep tousled hair and wondered for the millionth time why it spiked the way it did. "Kakkarot, it's breakfast time" she said sweetly.

Kakkarot's eyes snapped open as soon as he heard the word breakfast and Chi-chi laughed at him.

"What?" he asked as he sat up and kissed her on the cheek.

Chi-chi rested her head on his shoulder and asked, "Do you ever think about anything else beside food?"

Kakkarot smiled stupidly and rubbed the back of his head "I don't think about food that much" he said, honestly believing that it was true.

Chichi couldn't help herself and burst into a fit of laughter, leaving Kakkarot to wonder what was so funny "Are you kidding,?" asked Chi-chi as she wiped some tears from the corner of her eye "I've never met anyone as obsessed with food as you are?"

"Really?" asked Kakkarot.

Chi-chi only nodded in reply then she stood up and dragged the cart over to the bed "I cooked you some breakfast," she said "eat that while I go and have a shower"

Kakkarot didn't reply, he was to busy shoveling food into his mouth.

***

"Vegeta!"

Vegeta blinked and looked up, "Yes father?" he asked, "what is it?"

"You don't seem your usual self today." The King pointed out. "Is something the matter?"

Vegeta shook his head, "No father, everything is fine and as it should be"

The King clearly didn't believe his eldest child, he may have been a single father who didn't really get to spend a lot of time with his children due to him being the King and all, but he wasn't stupid. He could tell when something was wrong, and right now something was definitely wrong. Yet he didn't want to pressure his son into talking about something he would really rather not. He had learnt along time ago when dealing with a younger Chi-chi, that forcing children into talking to you, very often wasn't the right way to go about getting them to open up. More often then not it just forced them to become more and more secluded and hostile. And while it was true that Vegeta was not a 14-year-old teenage girl, the principal was still the same.

"Ok son," he said "I think I can manage things here on my own now, why don't you get some lunch, or take a walk" he suggested.

Vegeta usually spent most of his days in the throne room with his father helping him with the day to day running of the palace. He would make phone calls, fill in for his father when he was out at press conferences and such and generally just assist in whatever anyone needed help with. At times it got a bit hectic, but he enjoyed it nonetheless, and it would be good practice for when he eventually took the throne himself.

It was true, the King could manage on his own, now that Frieza was no more, things around the palace had been quite slow, usually the King would take phone call after phone call from distressed officials from other planets that had received word Frieza or some other branch of his empire were on their way to their home worlds. The King had never really understood why they always turned to him, when Frieza had used the Sayians as his exterminators for years now, and they had no choice but to comply with his every desire, or face total annihilation. But that was in the past now, the Sayians were free. Of course there was always the threat that someone else from his fallen empire could rise to claim his old position, but King Vegeta highly doubted that would happen, at least not for a while.

"Well son, what do you say?" asked the King

Vegeta sighed and looked out the window, it looked cold outside "Alright then, I'll be back soon"

***

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like your cleaning the pool"

"Well aren't you just the smartest little cookie"

Krillen rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the chairs beside the pool. He watched as 18 moved along the pool holding a net on the end of a big long stick, she skimmed it across the water, collecting any leaves and such that had landed in the water, the banged the net on the ground until all the leaves fell out the net, then repeated the process.

"Do you want some help?" he asked as he began to stand up

"No that ok," replied 18 "I only have one net anyway"

"Hey, hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you doing this? It doesn't seem like a job Chi-chi would give you"

"It's not," 18 replied without looking up from her task "Tarie is getting to pregnant to work now, she cant be seen around the palace anymore or who knows what they'll do to her. So we all have to pitch in to get her jobs done on top of our own. I didn't have a whole lot to do today, so now I'm getting as much of Tar's done as I can"

Krillen smiled, 18 was so beautiful, on the inside and out "That's a lovely thing for you to do for her"

18 only shrugged her shoulders; "She would of done the same for me"

For a brief second, an image of a pregnant 18 occupied Krillens mind, and he laughed inwardly, but it quickly disappeared when he heard footsteps behind him. Twisting his torso around, he looked behind him and saw his oldest sibling climbing the steps that led up to the huge swimming pool.

"Hey Vegeta," he casually greeted him as he sat down in the chair next to him, "What's up?"

Vegeta glanced up. "The sky" he replied.

Krillen shook his head and looked at Vegeta, waiting for a real answer. "I guess nothing" he eventually replied.

Krillen cocked an eyebrow at Vegeta; he had been expecting a better answer that that "You guess nothing?" he repeated. "I might be younger than you Vegeta, but I'm not stupid enough to believe that"

Vegeta blinked slowly and leaned back against the chair "Is it that obvious?" he asked in a tone of voice that sounded like it didn't belong to him at all.

From her position by the side of the pool, 18 blinked. What was going on here? Last she knew, before Krillen and Vegeta left for Namek, they hated each other. Now here they were sharing a deep and meaningful conversation. Exactly what had happened up there on Namek? She made sure to keep cleaning, otherwise it would be stupidly obvious that she was listening in on their conversation, but she kept her ears open and tuned her super sensitive ears in on exactly what they were saying.

"So are you going to share with me or not?" asked Krillen. "It might help"

"It's the woman" said Vegeta.

"Who? Bulma?" Krillen asked, not sounding at all shocked or like he was mocking his older brother. 18 smiled to herself, just one of the reasons why she loved him so much, he always had time for everybody and always took them seriously.

"Yes Bulma" Vegeta replied, he sounded a little bit angry at Krillen

Krillen sighed, he knew what it was like to have girl troubles, and now he was also lucky enough to know what it was like to have the girl, without the troubles "What about Bulma?" he asked. "Maybe I can help?"

Vegeta looked away, he was more than slightly embarrassed about having to come to his 19-year-old brother for love advice. "I don't know if you can. I kissed her" said Vegeta, "When we got back from Namek. I haven't been able to get it out of my head"

Inwardly Krillen laughed, he knew what Vegeta was going through. The poor guy had it bad. "I really don't think you should be talking to me about this Vegeta"

"Well who then?" he asked.

Krillen rolled his eyes towards the sky "Bulma" he said.

Vegeta furrowed his brow, he was now in deep though. "But what would I say to her that wouldn't resulting in her slapping me?"

"Did she slap you after you kissed her?" asked Krillen, smiling to himself because he was about to make a point

"No"

"Well then why would she slap you for just talking to her?" Krillen asked his 26-year-old brother. He found it odd really, that someone of his age could go for so long, and yet know absolutely nothing about love. He supposed he took more after their father than their mother.

18 smiled, Krillen was saying the right things again and again. Was there anything he couldn't do?

"But what would I say to her?" asked Vegeta, "I don't want to seem weak in front of her"

Krillen had to laugh. "Vegeta, if you want Bulma, you are going to have to push your pride aside for just a little while and show her that you really do care. You'll have to show her the true Vegeta, not the Vegeta that every body else knows." Krillen paused for a second and looked at 18, she looked back at him. Never breaking their eye contact, Krillen continued. "And if Bulma has the same feeling for you that you have for her, you'll know. And no matter how nervous you are, you'll say the right thing. Just look into her eyes and you'll know that everything will work out fine. That's the only advice I can give you" he said.

Vegeta didn't reply, he had noticed Krillen staring intently at Chi-chi's slave girl, what ever her name was, 12 or something like that; he had seen her in the Harem before she had worked for his sister. And in turn, she was staring back at him. Suddenly it clicked, the girl Krillen had been telling him about on the ship was her. Chi-chi's worker girl. Usually Vegeta would of laughed and never let Krillen live it down, but now he couldn't imagine doing something like that, without really realizing it, he had gotten surprisingly close to his kid brother.

Leaning over towards Krillens, he whispered so that she wouldn't be able to hear them "Why don't you take some of your own advice and tell her" he said

Krillen had to laugh, which totally confused Vegeta, "She already knows man" he said

"And?" Vegeta asked

"And what?"

"Was it successful?"

Krillen only nodded

***

Much later that night, Vegeta still hadn't worked up the courage to confront Bulma, normally he wasn't one to worry about nerves, he would decided he wanted to do something, then go and do it. But now, emotions had come into play, and he didn't want to have his heart crushed.

Looking at the clock, he decided that he should probably attempt to get some sleep, it was late and he needed to be up early in the morning…heck, he needed to be up early every morning. 

~

"Vegeta" the voice calling his name was soft, warm and inviting. He thought he recognized it from somewhere, but he wasn't too sure.

Vegeta looked around, he was outside in one of the gardens of the palace. How did he get out here? It was a beautiful day and sun was shining down on him, birds were chirping, the sky was blue. Everything was great. Why was everything so great?

"Vegeta" he heard someone calling his name again, but upon spinning around to find the culprit, he was greeted with nothing but air. Then all of a sudden, he began to see an image materialize right in front of him. His jaw dropped and his eyes bulged in amazement.

Soon the image had become a full solid person and it was slowly walking towards him.

A woman, with long back hair that was gently blowing in the warm breeze, and beautiful sparkling black eyes that could tell an entire story was walking towards him. She was dressed in a long white robe that was tied with a golden cord. At first Vegeta didn't realize who this woman was, but as she got closer it clicked and he felt his legs give out of him and he fell to his knees.

Without a word the woman walked up to him and kneeled down in front of him. She stroked his cheek with her soft hand and wiped away the tears that had strayed from his eyes. She seemed to be inspecting him, taking in everything about him.

"Vegeta" she whispered to him, speaking his name for the third time. Only this time it was so much more emotional, and to Vegeta is seemed like she also had tears in her eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something, but it took a few minutes for him to find his voice "M- mother" he whispered.

"Yes Vegeta, it's me. You've grown so big" she said sniffing back tears

"What's going on?" Vegeta asked

"I've come to help you"

"You can't help me. You're dead. Frieza killed you"

"And you killed Frieza. I'm so proud of you, and your brother and sister. Don't think just because you can't see me, I can't see you"

Vegeta was lost for words; here was his mother, who had been dead for 8 and a half years, sitting in front of him, talking to him, touching him.

"You need some advice Vegeta" said Lumie, tucking some of her hair behind her ear as she spoke

"I do?" asked Vegeta, sill in shock that he was talking to his mother

Lumie nodded "I can't stay long, so here's what I have to tell you," she said "just do it, I promise you won't be disappointed"

Vegeta was confused. What was she talking about? "Mother, I don't understand" he said quietly, looking at the ground

"You will, in time," she smiled at him "I have to go".

She leaned toward Vegeta and gently gave him a kiss on the cheek "I love you and you brother and sister and I am so proud of you all. Never forget that" she said, and then she was gone. Leaving a dumbfounded Vegeta behind

~

Vegeta opened his eyes and sat up. It was morning, 7a.m to be exact. Had he dreamed everything that had just happened? No he couldn't of, it had been so real, he had been able to smell her sweet perfume, feel it when she touched him. It had to be real. But then, why was he in bed? As much as he would of loved to deny it, it had to have been a dream.

He thought about what she had said, "just do it" and suddenly inside his brain it clicked, she had been talking about Bulma!

***

Chi-chi and Bulma were sitting in Chi-chi's room, well Bulma was sitting on the bed and Chi-chi was rummaging through her closet looking for something to wear to a press meeting she had to go to with her brothers. Everything she didn't like went on the floor. And according to Chi-chi, everything that went on the floor, needed to be washed. 18 sat in the corner of the room, calculating in her head all the hours she was going to have to spend un-necessarily washing clothing.

"What do you think of this one B-Chan?" Chi-chi asked, she was holding a pink boob tube dress that fell to about her knees and had thin white stripes running diagonally across it, against her.

"That's cute. When did you get it?" asked Bulma

"A while ago" replied Chi-chi

"It's good, but you'd need to wear a jacket or something with it, it's cold outside"

"Yeah!" agreed Chi-chi then she had an idea and disappeared back into her closet "What about this?" she asked holding up a long white scarf. It was different, but it would look nice. "Isn't that my scarf?"

Chi-chi's eyes darted all around the room, then she burst out laughing "maybe" she said.

"Chi" Bulma sounded annoyed, but she didn't object to Chi-chi wearing the scarf.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Vegeta strode into the room "Vegeta!" shrieked Chi-chi, "I could have been nude you know"

"God help me, I think I'd shoot myself if I ever saw something as horrifying as that"

Chi-chi rolled her eyes, clearly pissed at her older brother.

Bulma looked at Vegeta and her thoughts instantly went back to that kiss, not that had really been anywhere else for the last 4 days. It was all she had been able to think about.

"What do you want Vegeta?" asked Chi-chi as she laid her outfit for the night over her chair "Iron it" she spat at 18.

"Yes ma'am" she muttered.

"I want to talk to the woman" said Vegeta. Bulma felt her heart skip a beat; he wanted to talk to her.

"Who B-Chan?" asked Chi-chi.

"No, the one on the floor" Vegeta snapped sarcastically. Chi-chi actually considered that for a second before she realized that he was joking and did indeed want to talk to Bulma.

"Oh ok then. Bye B-Chan" she said with a wave as she watched Bulma rise up from the bed and follow Vegeta out the room.

~

They walked outside into the cool afternoon air and sat down on a wooden bench under a big old oak tree. They sat in an awkward silence for quite a few minutes before Bulma grew to anxious and needed to say something.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Vegeta gulped and thought back to what his mother had said _'Just do it'_ he heard the words echo in his mind and with that he received a sudden boost of confidence.

"I don't really know how to tell you this, Bulma". Bulma blinked, he never called her that. She hoped she knew what he was about to say. "Just say it. It'll come out right" Bulma spoke sweetly to him.

"I…um…I have feelings for you, woman" Vegeta muttered, his confidence boost suddenly lost.

Bulma smiled, she had never seen him so nervous, it was cute. "I like you to, Vegeta" she said not nervous at all, unlike him, she had been waiting for this moment almost her whole life.

Vegeta didn't know what to say, his mind was blank… he was no good at this. "I'm sorry," he said, "I have to go". He had hardly even taken three steps away from her before he heard Bulma call him "Vegeta, wait!"

He stopped and turned to face her. "What?" he asked

"Come here" she said, her voice kind yet firm. He did as he was told and resumed his seat next to her.

Bulma smiled, this was a side of Vegeta she had never dreamed of seeing, she hadn't even known it existed. She reached out and took hold of Vegeta hand, which was considerably bigger than hers and threaded her fingers through his. "Don't be scared Vegeta" she said as she rested her head on his shoulder. At first she felt him tense up, but then he relaxed and let the romance of the moment take him through.

"It's alright" Bulma soothed him, "I promise".

Even though Bulma couldn't see it, there was a smile on Vegeta's face. His mother had been right, Bulma was right, everything in his world, for once, felt right.

***

Bulma was banging on Chi-chi's door and chanting her name over and over again "Chi-chi! Open up this damn door!"

Finally the door opened, but it was 18 who she was greeted by, not Chi-chi. "Hi 18" Bulma sounded exceptionally happy. 18 pulled open the door all the way and let Bulma in.

"Chi-chi is in the shower, she should almost be done though". Then as if one cue, Chi-chi emerged from the bathroom wearing the pink boob tube dress and toweling her hair dry.

"Oh my god Chi! Guess what?"

Chi-chi took a step back, kind of scared by Bulma's weird behavior "What's up B?" she asked.

"Me…Vegeta…I can't believe it!"

"Whoa, calm down B. You aren't making any sense. Take a deep breath, sit down and try again" Chi-chi instructed.

Bulma did as she was told and sat down on Chi-chi bed. "Ok, she said," speaking very slowly "me and Vegeta are a couple!"

Chi-chi was quiet for a few seconds as those few words sunk it then she found her voice "What!" she shrieked. Bulma nodded and jumped up of the bed.

"Oh my god B," Chi-chi cried as she threw her arms around her best bud "That's so great! I'm so happy for you!"

Bulma looked over at 18 and smiled. "What are you looking at her for?" Chi-chi asked.

"I'm just really happy".

"Well I'm happy for you as well. You two are just so perfect for each other." Chi-chi said, then she gasped as she had a great idea, "Now we can go on a double date!"

"Yeah!" agreed Bulma, "Now sit down and I'll do your hair for you"

18 was quietly working away in the corner, busying herself putting all of Chi-chi's C.D's in alphabetical order. It was another pointless task, as by this time tomorrow they would be all over the floor again. She could hear Chi-chi and Bulma yapping away as Bulma worked magic on Chi-chi's long black hair and sighed. She liked Bulma and was glad she had found someone to make her happy. But Vegeta? Why him?

"Ma'am" she called quietly as she stood up.

"What?"

"I'm finished all of my duties for today"

Chi-chi flicked her wrist in 18's general direction, not bothering to look at her, "Go on then. Get out of my sight"

~

18 decided that she would drop in and pay her brother and Tarie a quick visit, besides, she wanted to share her special news with them. She knocked on the door and waited, it was Tarie who greeted her.

"Hi" she said with a bright smile.

"Hi" 18 replied.

"Come on in" said Tarie, she was in a particularly good mood tonight.

18 walked into the room and collapsed onto the bed, it no longer smelt like Krillen, 18 noticed with dismay.

"Where's my brother?" she asked, realizing Tarie was alone in the room.

"He went to visit Nison" replied Tarie. 18 looked across at Tarie and instantly she noticed that Tarie's belly was considerably bigger, there was a visible lump there now. "How far along are you?" she asked

"Bulma thinks about 4 and a half months"

"Already?" asked 18

"Yup"

Just then 17 walked into the room, he kissed Tarie and gave his sister a hug. "How've you been 18?" he asked as he walked into the bathroom to wash his face and hands before sitting down to eat the food Bulma had left them.

"Fine," replied 18, "I actually have something I want to tell you and Tarie"

"Really?" asked Tarie as she sat down beside 18 and handed her a piece of fruit, which 18 declined, she felt bad taking their food

"Well what have you got to tell us?" asked 17

"Well um…" 18 stalled, trying to find the right words "Krillen and I…well… we're a couple" announced 18. The next thing she knew, Tarie had her arms tightly wrapped around 18 "Oh my gosh, that's great 18. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks" 18 said, sounding a little bit shocked at the intensity of Taries joy.

"I'm really happy for you 18" 17 said as he rested his hand on 18's shoulder.

"Thanks"

"Well then if you and Krillen are together, then I guess I should tell you that he is downstairs waiting for you"

"He is?"

"Would I lie to you?"

18 knew the answer to that. She stood up and smiled at the pair on the bed. "Thanks guys. I'll see you tomorrow" she said and she walked out the room.

***

"I heard you were down here" 18 said as she walked into the room

"Was I busted?" Krillen asked as 18 sat down next to him.

"By my brother" said 18 through a yawn.

"Sleepy?"

18 nodded and rested her head on Krillens shoulder. "Very. You're stupid sister makes me do to much stuff, I don't like it"

"I'm sorry babe, I'll talk to her if you want me too"

"Don't waste your breath, I can tell you what would happen right now"

"What?"

"Chi-chi would get mad at me for talking to you and probably beat me within an inch of my life"

Krillen felt horrible, mainly because he knew it was so close to the truth.

"I swear, if it wasn't for Nison and his magic fingers I would be long dead by now"

Krillen felt a wave of jealously wash over him, and he knew jealousy was both a curse and a sin, yet he couldn't help it, "What do you mean?" he asked

"He's half Namekian," she said "You know that. He has the ability to heal people"

"Ah, I see" sighed Krillen, now it all made sense.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now. You can stay if you want" 18 offered.

"I have to go to a press conference upstairs, sorry babe. I'll come down later if you want me to"

"Don't bother, I'll be asleep and won't even notice it."

"Ok then," said Krillen and he bent down and gave 18 a kiss on the cheek, that wasn't enough for 18 though and she pulled him back again and pressed her lips to his. "Good night" she muttered as Krillen pulled the blankets up over her, she was already half asleep

"Good night" he whispered to her as he crept out of the room.

***

A few days later Kakkarot walked down the halls of the palace, he and a certain bounce in his step today and he hummed to himself as he walked along. Looking at his watch, he quickened his pace, he was running late, and he didn't really like being late.

Suddenly, he heard someone calling out somewhere behind him. "Kakkarot!" he turned around and saw Chi-chi running towards him.

"Hi" she said, "We're you looking for me?" she asked, not expecting any other answer but yes.

Kakkarot smiled brightly at Chi-chi and rubbed the back of his head, "Na, I'm not here to see you Chi, I'm here to see Krillen" he replied

Chi-chi blinked "What?" she asked, not knowing what else there was to say.

"Yeah, I've come to visit Krillen," Kakkarot repeated himself, "I'll maybe see you later ok".

Chi-chi was at a loss for words, but the look on her face as she watched Kakkarot walk away from her said it all. She was pissed. Whether Kakkarot realized what he had just done or how much trouble he had gotten himself into was debatable. But he would find out later.

Shaking her head and muttering cuss words under her breath, she turned on her heel and stormed off in the other direction to find Bulma, she wanted to be as far away from him right now as she possibly could.

***

A/N; Uh oh, Chi-chi's cracked it now! Wanna know what's going to happen next? Well Chi-chi…yeah, like I'm going to tell you. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, then you really will be able to find out what is going to happen next

Review Please! ^^

~Deadly Beauty


	33. Tourmented

Disclaimer; I OWN DBZ!…. oh wait, I meant I DON'T OWN DBZ…damn.

A/N; Wow, I have another chapter out already! Well, this one gets kinda sad at the end, just thought you could use a heads up.

And Zany Enchantress, I went to an autograph signing at the shopping center and I TOUCHED Guy's hair and I KISSED him (almost died right there in front of him)!! And let me tell you…it's so soft and nice, reminded me of what a cloud would feel like...LoL, well anyway this chappie is dedicated to you! Hope you like it

And YES it does SUCK that that stupid Norwegian man won! I was so utterly outraged! But congrats to Kelly for coming second, if Guy couldn't of won then I wanted her to because her music kicks butt.

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 32**

The sun was slowly rising from behind the hills spreading its golden rays over everything it touched. Today it had been exactly 3 weeks since the Sayians had arrived back from Namek, 5 weeks since the death of Frieza and the fall of his empire. The universe had never been better off. And neither had the Sayians, everything had been going great for them. 

Especially for their two princes, Vegeta and Krillen had become nothing short of celebrities, they had been doing interview after interview for just about every magazine and newspaper on the planet as well as appearing for countless photo shoots, it was as if they had become superstar musicians or something extreme. Not that they had just been following their fathers orders. Yet they had managed to remain humble and true to themselves throughout the whole ordeal, and now, after 3 weeks back home, things were finally starting to die down.

Krillen lay in bed, his arm casually flung over his lover's waist. As he lay there watching 18 sleep a smile found it's way to his lips, he thought about how lucky he was to be able to love her and how close he could of come to loosing her forever. It hadn't dawned to Krillen while he was on Namek that he could of died, he had been to pre-occupied fighting for the lives of millions of others that didn't even know he existed to think about how close he had come to death, and now thinking back on it, it scared him.

Beneath his arm, 18 began to stir; she rolled over and slowly, her eyelids fluttered open revealing the beautiful crystal blue orbs that were behind them. She looked up at him and smiled, then her eyelids closed over again and she was once again sleeping. Krillen couldn't help but see the funny side to the situation and laughed to himself. Then decided that she needed to be awake, he hated to wake her, but even more he hated to see her suffer from the repercussions of him not waking her.

"Babe," he nudged her gently in the side "it's morning"

"So" 18 mumbled as she buried her face in the crook of Krillen neck, her hot breath tickled him and made him squirm.

"So," Krillen repeated her and kissed the top of her head before he continued, "That means we have to get out of bed".

Suddenly, he felt 18's warm breath on his neck cease.

"18," his voice sounded a little panicked "18!"

"What?" 18 groaned, she was clearly not a morning person.

"Why'd you stop breathing?" Krillen asked.

"If I'm dead then I don't have to get up" 18 stated, her voice still muffled by Krillens neck.

Krillen repositioned himself so he could look 18 directly in the eyes, "You listen to me ok," he said "You're not to die on me you hear that" he said, then smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

18 rolled her eyes, something Krillen had noticed she did very often, "I was only mucking around" she said.

"I don't care," replied Krillen "I love you to much to ever lose you"

"I love you to, Krillen"

***

Kakkarot sat at the breakfast table, staring blankly out of the window opposite him.

"What's wrong son?" Bardok asked, the concern in his voice clear, and it wasn't without good reason. Kakkarot wasn't eating, he was merely pushing his food around his plate, and that alone was reason enough to be more that worried.

Kakkarot sighed deeply before he replied, "Chi's still mad at me"

"Still?" asked Bardok, who had been unaware that she had been mad at him in the first place. "What did you do?"

"That's just it" Kakkarot burst out, dropping his fork from his iron grip, sending it crashing into his plate "I have no idea what I did, but she hasn't spoken to me in weeks"

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Of course I have, but she won't take my calls"

Bardok pushed his empty plate away from him and stood up, walking around the table, he rested his hand on his sons shoulder "Welcome to the world of women son, let me tell you something. It's never going to get any easier trying to figure out what they want, so you may as well just grin and bear it. Don't worry, she'll get over herself soon enough."

Kakkarot rested his head in his hands and sighed again "Thanks dad" he said, he had already decided he needed to get a women's perspective on this situation "Do you know where mum is?" he asked.

"I believe she is on the terrace" Bardok replied as he walked out of the room, leaving Kakkarot alone.

~

Neha sat out on the terrace, just as Bardok had suggested she might be. She was sitting on her favorite swinging love seat, letting the gentle, warm morning breeze slowly rock her back and fourth. Her gaze was cast out at the beautiful lush gardens that surrounded her entire house; she was oblivious really, to how lucky she was. She had never known anything less than the absolute best – she had been born into a family of aristocrats. All she had ever know was perfection, never had she had to go hungry, or spend a night out in the cold, she would never have to work a day in her life or worry about not being able to support her family. All Neha's life consisted of was looking beautiful and standing by Bardok's side through all of his endeavors. She knew she was very beautiful, full of style and class, bred to be the best, but she refused to go as far as to say she was just a trophy wife to Bardok, as the press had dubbed her as in the past.

Bardok loved her, and she loved him. Husbands of trophy's wives didn't love their wives, they had mistresses to satisfy all of their urges and desires and rarely spoke to the wives unless it was to inform them that they were going to be required to hang off his arm at some function or party. In other words – she was only there to make him look good. Neha knew about that, she had seen many of her girlfriends go through the pain of realizing that they were merely an accessory to their husbands success, and all the sacred vows they had shared in their wedding ceremonies had become nothing more than forgotten words, words that were meant to mean so much, just discarded and forgotten. Neha counted her lucky stars that it hadn't been her, that she had only been the one offering the condolences rather than the one needing the condoling.

Neha was then snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of someone calling her. She quickly blinked and turned her gaze towards the French Doors that lead from the ballroom, to the terrace.

"Tur..." Neha stopped herself when she realized it wasn't Turles at all, "Kakkarot" she smiled at her youngest child, even if he was only younger by a few minutes "Good morning"

Kakkarot sat down next to his mother in the loveseat and fixed his gaze on the Royal Palace of Vegeta-sei, which could be seen of in the distance on top of a big hill. It was huge, even from the distance Kakkarot was at, the sheer size of it overwhelmed him.

Neha could tell straight away something wasn't right with Kakkarot; it was mother's intuition. The skill only a mother could possess – to be able to tell when something was wrong by only a singles glance.

"What to talk about it?" she asked, hoping Kakkarot would open up to her, though she really didn't doubt that he would, Kakkarot had never been the type of person to keep things bottled up inside.

"It's Chi-chi. She's mad at me and I'm not sure why. And before you ask, yes, I have tried calling her"

Neha laughed, of course he had tried calling her "Chi-chi is a very complex young woman honey. You can either go over to the palace and try and talk things over with her, or forget about her. I don't suggest the latter, you have a beautiful relationship with that girl and it's not worth throwing away over what is most probably a hotheaded young woman loosing her cool over nothing. I bet she's missing you just as much as you're missing her" said Neha.

Kakkarot smiled, he knew coming to his mother for advice was his best option, "Thanks mum," he said, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "I really missed you when I was on Namek you know"

Neha felt a tear form in the corner of her eye, she didn't want to think back to that horrendous 5 weeks "I missed you to son. I missed you to"

***

18 stood by the big glass doors and glanced outside, a glum expression on her pretty features. She hated days like this, where the world seemed to want to play cruel games on her and make her already depressing life even more miserable. Though she had to admit, ever since she had gained the addition of Krillens undying love in her life, things had been looking up. But still, even someone as wonderful as Krillen could only make a life as terrible as hers so much better.

"What's the matter 18?" Tarie asked as she pushed herself up off the bed and walked to her best friends side. 18 looked across at Tarie and flashed her a half smile "Nothing" she said quietly.

Tarie rested her hands against her sore back and looked at 18 as if she thought she were some kind of an idiot. "How stupid do you think I am 18?" she asked. "Is everything going all right between you and Krillen?"

This time, a true smile found its way to 18's lips "Yeah, every thing is great between us" she sighed happily.

Tarie smiled "That's good to hear, I'm glad you found someone to make you happy 18"

"Thank you Tarie, that means a lot to me"

Tarie sat back down on the bed and rested her hand on her swollen abdomen. Bulma had perform and ultrasound on Tarie only yesterday, and it everyone's surprise it had revealed that Tarie was more pregnant than everyone had first though, Bulma had said she was approaching 5 and a half months, but in actually fact, she was almost 6 months along. 

18 felt sorry for Tarie in a way, it was now very noticeable that she was pregnant and there was no possible way to hide it. Which meant that poor Tarie had been restricted to Krillens old room, for almost a month now, she had been stuck inside these walls, it must have been driving her insane, but if it was she wasn't letting it show.

"Oh 18, quick come over here!" Tarie suddenly burst out, scaring the crap out of the pre-mentioned young women.

18 came and sat beside Tarie, who promptly took 18's hand and rested it on her stomach. "What the hell are you doing?" asked 18, who did not seem at all impressed.

"Just hold still for a second" urged Tarie. 

Sure enough, a few seconds later, 18 felt something that almost felt like a strong heartbeat, against her flattened palm. She jerked her hand away in shock and Tarie laughed at her.

"What the hell what that?" 18 asked, clearly not expecting what had just happened.

"That was the baby kicking, it's awake. Feels wired doesn't it?"

18 blinked "it does that often?"

"Yeah all the time now, especially when I am trying to sleep"

"That must be frustrating" said 18 as she stood up, she had to leave her friend now, Chi-chi would be heading for the G.R's in a minute and that was when 18 could work her fastest – when she didn't have to worry about Chi-chi pummeling her. She was already nursing some bruised ribs from an incident a few days before, and there was nothing anyone could do about that. Usually she just went to Nison, but he couldn't fix an internal injury so she just had to live with it.

"You going?" asked Tarie.

18 nodded, "I have to. Tell 17 I said hi ok, I'll stop by again when I can"

~

18 walked down the hall. She could see Krillen in the distance walking towards her but he didn't see her, he appeared to be in a very in depth conversation with Nappa, and although she couldn't see his face, she could tell by the way he was walking and such, that he wasn't in a very good mood at all. She never got to find out for sure though, as both he and Nappa turned off into an adjoining hall before they reached her.

18 sighed and pushed open the door to Chi-chi's room, and to her dismay saw that Chi-chi had not yet left for the G.R and it didn't look like she was going be any time soon.

There she stood, in the middle of the room, screaming, flailing her arms about and stomping her feet. And the unfortunate recipient of it all – Kakkarot.

He stood there, such a look on his face that 18 almost felt sorry for him; he really looked like he was about to cry, and couple that with the expressions of absolute bewilderment and terror, and you got yourself one pretty pitiful looking man.

"Chi," he tried to plead with the irate woman "What have I done to upset you so much?"

18 gently shut the door, quite interested to hear what Chi-chi had to say about Kakkarot that was so dreadful. She had met Kakkarot on a few occasions, all though very briefly and he seemed like a decent enough guy, plus add that to the fact that his best friend was Krillen, and Krillen had never said anything but good things about him. 18 quickly came to the self-conclusion that as usual, Chi-chi was probably making a huge deal over nothing.

"What have you done!" Chi-chi exploded, she was very mad at Kakkarot for something that was totally out of his control, "Think back a few weeks. To when you came to see Krillen instead of me!" she hissed as him and stormed halfway across the room, picked up a pillow and hurled it at him. Kakkarot made no attempt to dodge it. Chi-chi was so blinded by rage; she couldn't see straight anymore and the pillow sailed across the room towards a destination that was nowhere near Kakkarot.

Kakkarot blinked. "Yeah, what about that day? I came to see Krillen, so what?"

Chi-chi growled "Exactly! You came to see Krillen, my stupid, moronic, dumb brother. What honestly could have compelled you to want to go any where near that loser? And even worse than that, you chose him over me! You wanted to see him, more than me"

Kakkarot growled deep in his throat "Krillen is my friend, and you have no right to talk about him like that. I don't care what you think about him. He is a Sayian to and if you just got to know him, you would get to see that he is a really great guy. If you are going to think about anyone like that – especially you own brother, then you should be ashamed of yourself Chi-chi" Kakkarot said while slowly shaking his head at her.

18 blinked and unbeknown to her, a smile broke out onto her face. It was about time someone put that bitch in her place – now all he had to do was smack her around a bit, maybe kill her, and everything would be great.

"What?," Chi-chi screeched "How dare you answer me back." She was about to open her mouth again, undoubtedly to shout off some more insults to Kakkarot, but she stopped. She seemed oddly calm for a second. But 18 knew that wasn't at all the case, she gulped, fear invading her entire being. As Chi-chi slowly stalked towards her, she felt like a rabbit caught in headlights – there was no where she could run, nothing she could do to escape the pain that would surely be greeting her soon.

Desperate to escape, she turned her fear filled eyes to her last resort – Kakkarot.

He also, had a grim look in his eyes, and it told 18 everything she needed to know. Kakkarot wasn't going to help her, he knew what the consequences would be if he did. He would loose Chi-chi forever, and for some reason 18 she couldn't possible comprehend, he wasn't willing to do that.

"18, how long have you been standing there?" Chi-chi asked, her tone of voice almost deadly.

"I…I…I'm not sure ma'am," she stuttered, her voice whisper quiet, "N…not long"

Chi-chi cocked an eyebrow "Not long?" she asked skeptically, then with a resounding slap, she sent 18 crashing into her closet, breaking the wood and tearing open the skin on her back.

Kakkarot felt his heart skip a beat. Why had Chi-chi done that? That poor girl had done nothing wrong. He stood there, this heart thumping in his chest from fear. Not fear of what would happen to him though, fear of what Chi-chi would do to this girl, how far she would go just to vent the anger he had caused.

18 felt tears running down her face. Or was it blood? She really wasn't sure, everything was blurry and she her head was spinning so fast it was making her feel sick. As soon as the feelings subsided, she hauled herself to her feet, she panted trying to regain her breath, the collision had winded her badly.

"How much did you see 18?!" demanded Chi-chi. She grabbed onto 18's forearm, her iron grip preventing her from running anywhere, not that she would of anyway.

"Chi-chi, don't do this, you'll kill her!" Kakkarot tried to reason with Chi-chi, but there was no stopping her.

She then decided to whirl on Kakkarot again, she disposed of 18 by way of punching her in the side of her head, she couldn't go far through, since Chi-chi was still holding her, and the result was 18's arm almost being yanked out of it's socket.

"Kakkarot, she is _my_ slave and I can treat her however I damn well want to!"

"Not while I'm around you can't. I don't want to have anything more to do with you Chi-chi, if this is how badly you treat people, you don't deserve to have anyone love you"

She tried to lash out at him, swinging her fist as hard as she could at his face, like she had done with 18 only seconds before. Kakkarot easily caught her wrist though, and when she tried to repeat the attack again, he caught that to.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, trying to hurt Kakkarot any way she could, but he refused to budge.

"No Chi-chi, you need to cool down for a while" he said, and with that, he picked her up, carried her into the shower, turned the tap on cold then locked the bathroom door. Leaving her a prisoner in there.

"Hey, are you going to be alright, 18?" he asked, finally remembering her name, this was Krillens new girlfriend. There was no reply at first, but eventually she managed to nod her head, signifying she would be fine. But nonetheless Kakkarot gently scooped her up and carried her out of the room, keeping her safe from harm, for another day at least.

***

Slowly 18 opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was, she recognized nothing about her surroundings. She knew she wasn't alone though, beside her she could hear someone lightly breathing – they were asleep. But who was it. 17? Krillen? Kakkarot?

Forcing herself to roll over, and kind of relieved smile appeared on her bruised face. It was Krillen; he lay beside her on the bed, sleeping peacefully and 18 noticed for the umpteen millionth time just how cute he looked when he slept. Like an innocent child, void of all the shit life could throw at you.

She didn't want to wake him, but it turned out she didn't have to, because only a few minutes later, his eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring into her beautiful blue orbs

He quickly sat up and brushed 18's hair off of her face "I was so worried about you"

"It's ok" said 18, forcing herself to sit up. She had been hit by Chi-chi so many times now she was starting to become immune to the pain "It's not the first time I've ended up like this and it wont be the last. You're going to have to learn to deal with the fact that you have a psychotic slave bashing sister"

Krillen pulled 18 close and wrapped her in a comforting embrace, he was careful not to squeeze to hard though, for fear of hurting her bruised ribs. "It will be the last time babe, I promise you"

18 gave a dry sarcastic laugh "don't kid yourself Krillen. You know as well as I do that that's not true"

"Why do you always have to think so negatively about everything?" Krillen asked, not chastising her, merely asking, curious for an explanation.

"Trust me, when you've had a life like I have, it's hard to find the positive side in anything"

"That's sad" Krillen said, and he kissed her.

Out in the distance, 18 heard the low rumble of thunder; she quickly pulled away from Krillens kiss and turned her gaze out of the open window. Krillen followed her lead, wondering what was out there that had put such a look on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Don't like thunder?"

18 shook her head "I hate storms. They bring back bad memories. Horrible, twisted, scary memories"

"Well it's ok now, I'm not going to let the bad memories come anywhere near you"

***

"Vegeta! Vegeta stop!" Called Bulma as she sprinted to catch up to him. Finally he did stop and she was able to catch him.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she threaded her fingers through his and they began to walk down the halls on the way to know where in particular. Their relationship had been 'official' for three weeks now, and while things had been wired for the first few days as they both got to know what was and was not ok in their relationship, now things were going great. Bulma had realized that she had been exactly what Vegeta needed, someone to love and be loved by, and even though he wasn't the most romantic man in the world, he was very affectionate – but not in public, was his one rule, never in public, the palace was fine, but outside the palace, he would not tolerate it and Bulma supposed she could understand why. He had to keep some aspect of his private life – well private.

"Nothings wrong"

Bulma scoffed "Vegeta, I am without a doubt the smartest women in this palace. Do you really think you can lie to me? I might be young and gorgeous, but I'm not dumb".

Vegeta shook his head; his woman was so vain sometimes "It's my sister"

"Chi-chi? Don't worry, she's been giving everyone the shits lately"

This was a revelation to Vegeta. He had received an earful a little while ago on the topic of his new found acceptance of Krillen and how it was just sick and wrong, after a 10 minute rant on that topic, Chi-chi then spent another 10 minutes insulting him and calling him just about every profanity she could think of. Vegeta had grown bored of her immature behavior quickly though and walked off on her.

"So, she's been annoying you as well?"

"I thought she was your 'best friend" Vegeta said with a smirk.

"Yeah," Bulma said with a sigh "So did I. But now, I don't know, I just don't really wanna see her. She's always bad mouthing you, and the way she treats 18 makes me sick, if she only took the chance to get to know her, she would see that 18 is really nice"

Vegeta looked down at her, he knew that Bulma spent a rather large amount of time with the slaves, he wasn't sure what the reason for it was and he didn't really care. He didn't really like that fact that she considered them her friends, but he said nothing about it. Even though he would never actually say it, having the woman in his life was one of the best things that had ever happened to him and he didn't want to push her away by taking complete control of her life.

Bulma looked down at her watch and winced. She had promised her parents she would be home in time for dinner. "I gotta go" she said as she kissed him on the check, "C'ya later ok"

"Bye women" he called after her, knowing full well how much she hated it.

"Don't call me woman!" she yelled back over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around and look at him

***

One minute she had been sleeping peacefully, next she was wide-awake in her bed panting for breath. Nightmare? No. It had been the thunderstorm that had woken her from her slumber. The weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms, but 18 had been hoping they would blow over – as it was, she had had no such luck. As another crack of thunder sounded over the palace, 18 shot up from her current position, to sit bolt upright. She shook with fear and tried hard not to sob. There were very few things that scared her more than storms.

"18!" she heard someone call her name, scaring her even more. The glow of a flashlight shone into the cold room, and then she saw Krillen, and with him the greatest feeling of relief washed over her. She was going to be all right.

"Are you ok?" asked Krillen as he wrapped her up in a big hug, "I remember you told me you hated storms". He could feel her shaking. She mumbled something into his chest, but he didn't know what she said.

"It's ok, I'm here now. It's ok". They lay there for the longest time, not saying a thing, merely silently protecting each other from whatever inner demons they were fighting against. After what must have been close to an hour, neither of them was any closer to achieving sleep. There was a question, poking away in the back of Krillens mind.

"You awake?" he asked quietly. A reply instantly came, "yeah"

"Can I ask you something? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I'm just curious"

"Yeah," 18 shrugged her shoulders "I don't see why not"

"Why are you so scared of the storm? Has it got something to do with your past?"

18 gulped, and Krillen knew he had hit the nail right on the head. "Uh-huh" 18 muttered, "It's a long story"

"I've got time to listen" Krillen offered, hoping that 18 would be willing to share her darkest secrets with him

"You honestly wanna know?" she asked. Krillen only nodded his head and kissed her.

"All right," 18 took several deep breaths before she began her story. She was scared, scared that by the end of this, Krillen would know that she was nothing more than a freak, and he wouldn't love her anymore. But logical thinking kicked in, and she realized that Krillen wasn't that shallow. If he could love her for what she was now, then there was no reason why he wouldn't be able to love her 20 minutes from now.

"A long time ago, before we came here. 17 and I – we lived in a small village, not to far from here. Just the two of us with our parents," 18 paused and wiped some tears off her cheeks, remembering back to the days she constantly tried so hard to forget. "Things in our house were always tight, we never had much money, but we managed. My _father_," she spoke the word with such hate that Krillen cringed, "worked as a janitor at a university somewhere, but his true passion had always lay in science. As soon as he got home every night, he would go straight into his stupid lab. Our mother told us never ever to go in there. After all, who knew what kind of crazy shit my father was doing in there." A smile formed on her lips as she thought back to her mother.

"Tell me about her?" Krillen asked, wanting to bring some happiness to this already sad tale.

"Her name was Bianca, and she was the most amazing person I have ever known. She was beautiful too, she looked just like 17, long black perfect Sayian hair, and beautiful blue eyes just like mine. Everyone loved her, and she was friends with everyone she met. I honestly don't remember a lot from back then, it's all hazy, but I do remember her, and everything about her. She used to sing us to sleep at night and she once my father started heading down the wrong path, she tried her best to protect us from him, but it was no use, she wasn't a fighter."

Krillen wrapped his arms around her a little tighter as a crack of thunder boomed throughout the room, echoing off the walls. He felt her jump, and wished there was something, anything he could do to help her.

She took a deep shuddering breath before she continued, hating to have to relive this pain, but all the while knowing it was for the best "It was when we were about 7 I think. He started coming home later, acting strange. My mother tried to talk to him, find out what the hell was going on, but he wouldn't talk to us. He started making and receiving strange phone calls and wired packages were always being delivered to our house. No one said anything about it, he just told us he was working on some new experiment and to leave him the hell alone. For the longest time, my mother suspected that he had taken up drinking but there was no evidence, no way to prove him guilty." She stopped for a few minutes "and that's the good part of the story, from here on in…well, it's not pretty".

Krillen looked down at 18 lovingly and wiped some of the tears from her face. "It's ok 18. I know it must hurt, but I'm here."

"I know," she said quietly, her sad tale was to emotionally draining for her to talk much louder. "One day, my father, he just never came home from work, and the funny thing was – my mother didn't seem to care, it was wired, for as long as I could remember, they had been happy, we had been happy. Then right before my poor, innocent eyes my world started to crumble and fall around me. I wasn't a dumb child, and neither was 17. We would lie in our beds at night and listen to our parents scream at each other, sometimes we could hear our mother cry, and we hated it. For a 7 year old, there is nothing more scary than hearing your parents yell, especially when you hear your name in the mix and you just know that's it your fault that mummy and daddy are angry. Because you weren't good enough or you weren't pretty enough, or because no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't do anything right. For the longest time, father never came home, it was like he had just dropped off the planet, then one day, 17 and I got home from school and there he was watching T.V and stuffing food in his mouth. Right away he looked at us, and there was a gleam in his eyes, and we knew something wasn't right. 17 said something to him – I don't remember what exactly, but it wasn't nice and father knocked him clear to the other side of the room. I was petrified, we both were. We knew he had changed, but we never though he would hit us. But it was worse than that. He hadn't only hit 17 that day, he broke 2 of his ribs. And it didn't stop, the three of us, we just became his punching bags. A day never went by without at least one of us bleeding – we became his prisoners, forbidden to leave the house for fear of the worst beatings of our life. 17 and I, we were young and impressionable and we very quickly became dark and cynical. We learnt never to trust anyone, because they'd probably beat you, rape you and leave you for dead. We became hostile, sarcastic, and wary of everything going on around us. Now I can see that that was exactly what he wanted. He was trying to break us, and it worked. He had been the willing test dummy, and now it was our turn, we were being prepared for a fate we didn't even know about." Stopping again, 18 sat up. Suddenly she was feeling unbearably hot.

Krillen looked up at her, the concern he was feeling plainly showing on his face. He was scared – scared that she wouldn't be able to handle what was to come. He knew this story was going to get worse. Far worse, he could feel it in his bones. And 18 was already a mess, her words were slow, and more often than not, hard to understand through her crying. But he didn't dare stop her or question her words. He could plainly see how hard this was for her, there was not a doubt in his mind it was taking every morsel of courage in her entire being to share this with him.

"One night, he was fighting with mama, not just verbally, I remember seeing the blood pouring from her face. She was all bruised and swollen, but I had been there through everything and to me she was still beautiful. Outside, it was raining, just like this," she clenched her eyes shut tight to try and stop the barrage of tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "All that day, he had forced us to dig him a hole. We had no idea why, but there was no way we would argue with him. It wasn't very deep, about half a meter or so. Every time we even so much as looked at each other, he would beat us, and he enjoyed doing it too."

18 opened her eyes, and Krillen was surprised. There were no tears there, her eyes had dried up. She had given up on crying, and now she only wore a blank expression, not revealing anything at all. Krillen had seen that look before; a long time ago, when he had only just began building the foundations of their friendship. She had been cold and distant, exactly like she was now.

"That night, when they were fighting – well, he was fighting, mama was just taking the abuse like she always did. I was so scared, I was crying, and he told me to shut up or he'd shut me up. 17 was trying so hard to be brave, he was always the brave one. Then suddenly the front door was slammed open and a strange man came barging into our house. He was so old. The next thing I remember, we were out in the backyard, knee deep in mud that had been the piles of dirt from the hole. Father had mama, the old man was holding 17 and I, keeping up away from our parents. Mama tried to scream, to escape, but no one could hear her over the storm. My father yelled something at us, but I couldn't hear him, and then he picked up a shovel, and smacked my mother over the head with it. He killed her, right in front of us, he killed her. And he had no qualms about it either. He buried her in the hole, covered her up with the mud, and left her there to rot. The woman who he had loved so much, he just ended her life like she was some kind of insect. It made me sick to my stomach."

"18, I…I'm sorry" Krillen whispered, having lost his voice to emotions. It was the first time he had spoken in a long time

"I'm not finished," 18 said, her voice still totally void of any emotion what so ever "the next thing I remember is waking up. I can only assume we we're either drugged, or clubbed with the shovel as well. But when I woke up I was in a small room, made entirely of metal and lit with harsh lights that hurt my eyes. But the worst part was that I was alone – all alone and scared. I was 10, and so very scared. I pounded on the door with everything I had, screaming out for my brother, I sat there for so long banging on that door, but no one came, and eventually I guess I must have just fallen asleep. After that, the old man came back, told me his name was Gero, Dr. Gero and that he was a good friend of my father. He injected me with something and I got weak, so I could still walk, but couldn't escape. He took me to some room, and there I saw the most horrifying sight of my entire life." Her emotions returned then, and the tears exploded down her cheeks, her breathing came is short, loud gasps and was shaking like a leaf.

Krillen jumped to action and wrapped an arm around her, but she shrugged it away – not wanting to be touched.

"He was chained up against a wall by his hands, his feet dangling just from the ground. His stomach had a huge open wound and blood was just oozing out of it. All of his hair had been shaven off and there were wires coming from his head. I was sick all over Gero's boots, he kicked me across the room and I landed in a pitiful sobbing mess at my father's feet. That's the last thing I remember, I guess they did to me what they did to 17. They turned us into freaks"

"You're not freaks"

"Yes, we are Krillen. We are. They took away everything we were, and you know what the worst thing was? It was all legal. It was in the name of science, and since our father was one of the scientists, they didn't need our consent. They chopped us up, took things from us, added things to us. Practically turned us into robots. You know, I'd give anything to have a tail again. Everyday I think about it, about how a man could kill his wife, abuse his children, stand by and watch while his only daughter was sexually abused by a man at least 7 times her age. We escaped eventually, but we had nowhere to go. Astrid found us and took us in, she had been mama's friend forever, she had known something wasn't right in our world. We lived with her for a year or so, then you brother and sister raided our village. They either killed or captured, we got captured. You know how it goes from there" she looked up towards the roof and blinked, wiping some tears off her cheeks as she did so.

"18, I…" Krillen stopped; he didn't know what to say. What could you say to someone who had gone through something like that? There were no words

"You must think I'm a total monster. I'm sorry Krillen, I never should of let myself fall in love with you. It's not fair to you" she whimpered through her tears, then she did something Krillen totally hadn't been expecting. She got up and ran, and she disappeared so quickly that Krillen didn't even notice she had gone until she had well and truly cleared the slave quarters. But once he realized, he quickly pounced up off the bed and chased after her. There was only 2 places she might go, and he was willing to bet he knew which one.

~

Her tears mingled in with the pouring rain as her heart thudded in her chest. Half from fear and half from running all the way up here at full speed. She flung herself to the ground in front of Astrid's grave and cried harder than she and cried in years.

She didn't know how long it had been, seconds, minutes or hours and she didn't really care either. All she wanted right now was to be left alone. She had just destroyed any chance she had at improving her pathetic excuse of a life and taken Krillen down with her. It had been foolish of her to think she could ever have anything good in her life, to be happy was asking too much. She had obviously done something or pissed someone off in a past life, and now she was paying the price.

Suddenly, the rain stopped falling on her. She opened her eyes and looked up, only to see Krillen standing above her holding a big umbrella over them both. She scowled at him, then turned away, "What do you want?" she sneered at him.

He crouched down beside her, resting on his ankles. Cautiously he reached out and rested his hand on her very wet shoulder. "I want you 18" he said.

"No you don't. You can do so much better. Just leave, forget about me. Move on!"

Krillen felt a feeling of anger wash over him then, and he spoke to her in a harsh tone, trying to talk some sense into her. "For God's sake 18! Can't you see that I love you? Don't shut me out; I want to be with you. You make me feel like I'm floating just thinking of you 18, and I'm sorry, but I refuse to give that feeling up!"

18 sat up, she was now covered from head to toe in mud and she was shivering in the cold. Krillen knew that come morning she would be sick. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She had nothing to say. So instead she settled on a small smile. Krillen smiled back, a great feeling of relief washing over him. He wrapped his free arm around 18 and hugged her tightly, holding onto her for what felt like dear life.

"Don't ever leave me 18," he cried into her mud encrusted hair, tears running down his cheeks, and onto hers, "I couldn't bear to have to live the rest of my life without you"

"I'm sorry," she replied quietly, "I shouldn't have burdened you with the stories of my past"

"It's ok," Krillen soother, pulling her closer still, "I promise you, it's ok."

***

A/N; Poor 18. I got a little bit misty eyes when I was writing this…not to mention a little bit angry because I couldn't get it right! But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, and didn't think it sucked or anything.

I'd love reviews! Thanks a bunch for reading

~Deadly Beauty


	34. To Be Us

Disclaimer; I do not own DBZ, it would be pretty cool if I did though

A/N; I finally have a new chapter up, and I know it took like, forever but I was busy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll try and get the next one up soon. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know Chapter 33 

The King sat at the long table in the dining hall – alone. Breakfast was due to be served almost 10 minutes ago, and still, his children hadn't arrived. He was beginning to wonder if he was going to have to send someone to fetch them, when the doors were pushed open and Vegeta and Krillen strolled through. Both still half asleep, neither wearing shirts and sharing a quiet conversation. They both took their spots at the table, before greeting their father.

"Good morning boys. I trust you both slept well"

"Fine thank-you father" replied Krillen, he had no intention of sharing with his father – or anyone else for that matter – the goings on of the night before.

Vegeta only shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't pay any attention to how well he slept, he either slept or he didn't, it was as simple as that.

"Where's Princess Bitch this morning? I'm hungry" said Vegeta sarcastically. He wasn't at all impressed with Chi-chi right now, she had upset Bulma, which in turn had pissed him off.

"Vegeta!" scolded the King. "You will not speak about you sister in such a way. Is that clear?!"

"Talk about me in what way?" Chi-chi asked as she entered the room, flashing Vegeta an icy cold glare as she walked past him, towards their father so she could give him a kiss on the cheek "Good morning daddy" she said as she sat down.

Breakfast was served almost straight away, but Krillen wasn't hungry. He only pushed his food around his plate. "What's the matter son?" asked the King, picking up on his sons uneasiness.

Krillen sighed and forced himself to swallow something in order to try and hide the obvious fact that something was indeed wrong. "Nothing" he lied.

The King didn't believe him at all, yet he chose to say nothing more.

Everyone was quiet for quite sometime after that, they were all buried deep in their own thoughts and personal problems to be worried by what everyone else was doing, however, it was eventually Vegeta that spoke up.

"Krillen"

"Yeah?"

"Interested in having a spar later on?" he asked.

Krillen pondered the question for a moment; it would probably be good to spar with Vegeta. "Sure" he replied

Chi-chi dropped her fork onto her plate, but no one noticed. How dare Vegeta offer to spar with Krillen. She had always been his sparring partner – always! For as long as she could remember, even before their mother died, and now here he was, not even looking at her. What a traitor.

She got up and stormed out of the room. No one made any special efforts to chase after her. Why should they bother? She would either hate you because you didn't chase her, or hate you because you did.

***

Bulma leaned back in her chair and took a much-needed sip of coffee. This was the downside of science, the many hours in front of a computer screen. Calculating formulas, organizing data, researching, and worst off all, writing reports. Right now, she was working on an article she had been asked to write for a very high profile science journal, discussing the findings of her latest research. It wasn't that she had nothing to write about, after all her findings had been rather extraordinary. But she was a scientist, not a writer, and she had great amounts of trouble trying to put her thoughts into words that actually sounded professional and worthy of the planets top science publication.

Later that afternoon she was going to a photo shoot – her, Bulma, a photo shoot. She was going to be on the cover of one of the planets most popular magazines 'Vegeta-sei Weekly' it was a typical gossip magazine with trashy articles, puzzles and the weekly T.V guide, plus about every second week the latest celebrity fad diet. It was stupid, but they were doing an article on 'Inspirational Women of Vegeta-sei' and funnily enough, Bulma had been asked to take part and Chi-chi had been totally overlooked.

Bulma was brought back to reality then by the sound of a gentle tapping on the lab door "it's open" she called.

Chi-chi pushed open the door and slowly walked into the room. She saw the look on Bulma's face, and it wasn't a pleasant one.

"What do you want?" Bulma asked as she turned her attention away from Chi-chi and back to her work. Chi-chi sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk and looked at Bulma with puppy dog eyes and a pathetic smile.

"I said, what do you want?" Bulma repeated herself not even bothering to turn her attention away from her computer screen this time.

"I've just come to talk" said Chi-chi

Bulma rolled her eyes "I'm busy. Unlike you, I have to work"

Chi-chi turned away from Bulma, that hurt her. "Well I'm sorry my father happens to be the King, but that's really not something I can control" she said.

Bulma said nothing for a few minutes, then when she did speak she said; "Maybe you should just go Chi-chi, I really don't have anything positive to say to you right now"

Chi-chi took a deep breath and stood up, "Ok" she said, and walked away.

***

17 was quietly humming to himself as he worked out in the garden, under the warm mid-morning sun.

"You right there dude?" Nison asked with a laugh.

"Huh? Yeah, why wouldn't I be" he replied vaguely.

Nison shook his head, "Don't worry about it"

17 dropped his tools and lay back on the grass, gazing up at the fluffy white clouds floating lazily above him. Nison joined him. It has been a long time since the two friends and spent any quality time together, since all of 17's time had been consumed taking care of his pregnant girlfriend, Tarie.

"Nison, what's happened here?" he asked suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how it is possible that so much has changed in the past year?"

"I dunno man"

"Think about it, I got my sister back. Tarie and me got together and now we are having a baby. 18 managed to get the prince to fall in love with her! It's crazy. I keep expecting to wake up and find out this is all a dream, a stupid crazy dream that I can't control"

Nison sighed, "When you put it that way, it has been pretty crazy hasn't it".

"Sure has," agreed 17 and he stood up, "I have to go, can you finish up here?" he asked.

"Ok, catch you later"

"Will do"

~

17 quickly made his way down the palace halls; he was trying to get through all of his work, and Tarie's as well. She mostly worked inside the palace, on general cleaning duties and such, whereas 17 – like most of the male slaves, worked out in the palace grounds on maintenance duties, he cleaned window, repaired broken things, mowed the lawns. Right now though, he was trying to tick a job of Tarie's list. He had to clean the floors in the Training Complex.

Tarie always complained about how much she hated this job, she had never had a very strong stomach, and got rather sick from looking at anything unpleasant. 17 grinned to himself as he thought of how she was going to cope changing the baby's dirty nappies.

He walked into the foyer and straight away, noticed it was relatively clean. Hopefully it wouldn't take him to long to get all of his cleaning done, he really didn't like to clean, he was more of a handy man. He got a great amount of joy from fixing things; he loved to mess around with the insides of machines and whatnot.

17 noticed that 2 of the G.R's were already in use, but he gave it no more thought than that. He took the broom out of the utility closet and quickly set to work.

"17," he head someone call his name about 5 minutes later. He blinked, looked up and turned around only to see Krillen walking towards him.

"Oh, hi Krillen" he greeted him. He felt a certain gratitude towards Krillen, he knew he owed him a great debt after all he had done for Tarie and himself, and the way he had helped his sister, he really would never be able to thank him enough.

"What's up?" asked Krillen as he sat down on one of the chairs in the foyer and motioned for 17 to do the same.

"Nothing much," replied 17 as he sat down. He couldn't get in trouble for it, he was under strict rules to follow and act upon the royalties every whim, "How's my sister?" he asked. Krillen had seen more of 18 than he had lately, so it made sense to ask him.

Krillen paused, should he tell 17 about what had gone on the night before? He had a right to know, but then again, he also had to respect 18's privacy and the fact that she may not want 17 to know what she had shared with him the night before. "She's fine. I think she might have a slight cold though".

"Uh, listen, Krillen," 17 fidgeted in his chair and played nervously with his hands "I want to say thanks to you for everything you have done for Tar and me. If it weren't for your generosity, our baby, it just wouldn't stand a chance"

Krillen blushed, "hey think nothing of it, it's the least I could do"

"No, it really means so much to us that you would do this for us. But enough is enough, we've talked about this, and we want you to have your room back. We'll be out my the morning"

"What? No, I couldn't ask that of you"

"You didn't ask, we insisted"

"Well if you insist, what else can I do? But you're not going back downstairs. I won't have it"

"Well what else do you expect us to do?" 17 asked

"I've been staying in the guest rooms, it's practically deserted down there. I think it would be perfect for you. You wouldn't have to be so sneaky, or quiet" explained Krillen

"Really?" asked 17

"Sure," replied Krillen, "You can move down there tonight if you want to"

17's face lit up in a happy smile. "That would be great. We both win that way"

Just then, the door to the complex swung open and Vegeta walked through the door, dressed in his blue spandex with a towel flung across his shoulders.

"I gotta go now ok, what time should I come by?"

"Anytime after everyone else is asleep"

Krillen nodded at 17 then flashed him a smile. Then he walked over to join Vegeta

"What were you doing talking to the freak?"

"Leave him alone Vegeta"

***

"Don't you get bored sitting around in here all day?" 18 asked as she rummaged through Krillens closet. She was his girlfriend, she felt it one of her rights to poke through all of his belongings.

"Yeah, but I get used to it. I suppose that's the price I have to pay"

"For what? You did nothing wrong" stated 18

"I guess your right"

"No, I know I'm right. Trust me"

Tarie was about to say something else, but a knocking on the door interrupted her. 18 offered to get it. It was Bulma.

"Hey 18, have you finished working?" Bulma asked as she walked through the door, "Hi Tarie"

Tarie waved and 18 replied, "Na, I'm taking a break. I'll have to get going soon"

"That's too bad," said Bulma.

She walked back out the door, but appeared only seconds later pulling a cart full of food with her. 18 stared in amazement; she had never actually seen the food delivery before and she was quite shocked by the amount of food there was. There was no way two people could get through all that in one day.

"So, how are you feeling?" Bulma asked as she pressed her hands against Tarie's stomach

"Fine. You?"

"Fine. I'm really excited, I'm going to a photo shoot this afternoon"

"Really, why?" asked Tarie

"I'm one if Vegeta-sei's 10 most Inspirational Women. I have no idea what I did to earn that title, but I get to go on the cover of 'Vegeta-sei Weekly'. Cool huh?"

"Yeah," replied Tarie eagerly "isn't that cool 18?"

18 nodded her head and smiled.

"Is Vegeta going to the shoot?" she asked

Bulma sat on the bed and looked at 18, "Yeah. He doesn't like the idea of some strange man taking my photo. As soon as he found out the photographer was a male, he suddenly became interested in what went on at magazine shoots. It's cute really"

18 rolled her eyes, it was clear that her idea of cute was vastly different from Bulma's idea of cute. "Chi-chi?' she asked, as in, was she going as well?

This time, Bulma rolled her eyes, "I hope not" she replied.

Tarie and 18 looked at each other in utter confusion "Excuse me?" asked 18.

"She is just being so horrible lately. Ever since the boys got back something hasn't been quite right with her, and now Vegeta and I are together, it's become 10 times worse. You must notice it 18, you have to see her more than anyone else"

18 thought for a few minutes "well, she's always hitting me, I really don't think it's any worse now. Though if she ever found out about me and Krillen, I don't even want to imagine it. Although, she was going absolutely mental and Kakkarot the other day, I don't even know if they're together anymore" she said with a smirk.

"Really?" Bulma sounded very intrigued by this "What caused that?"

"Oh, Kakkarot came to the palace to see Krillen and not her, and she just lost it"

Bulma burst out laughing, 18 cocked her head in confusion, she really didn't see the funny side of it. After all, she had had to be Chi-chi's punching bag while she vented her anger. "What's so funny about that?" she asked

"It's just that, just as all of our lives gain something good, her 'perfect' world is crumbling around her"

A smile found it's way to 18's lips, when you put it like that, it was kind of funny.

***

Vegeta's gold tipped boots clinked against the wooden floor as he walked along. He had been training with Krillen for the past hour. Frieza may have been dead, but his empire most certainly was not, and even though Vegeta highly doubted it would happen for quite some time, it was almost a guaranteed fact that in time, someone would rise up and take Frieza's place. Vegeta was not going to let that happen to his people again, they had been enslaved by him for more years than Vegeta could count, living in constant fear of the tyrant. And when a new evil finally did rise up, Vegeta would be ready and waiting to blow it's ugly head off.

But for today he had done enough training. Bulma was going to a photo shoot, and he would be dammed if he was going to let a strange man take photos of her, if this guy tried anything – anything at all, Vegeta would be putting an end to the whole thing in less than a heartbeat. Of course, Bulma didn't know this, as far as she knew, he was interested in what happened at things like this. He wasn't going to let her know he was just being over-protective of his woman.

"Vegeta!" he blinked when he heard the angry voice of his sister behind him. He didn't stop walking though, he merely slowed down.

"What do you want?" he asked his younger sister as she caught up to him. Chi-chi rolled her eyes, that was two people today who had asked her that.

"I want to talk to you" she snapped.

Vegeta picked up his pace again, "I don't want to talk to you"

Chi-chi narrowed her eyes and scowled deeply, she reached out and firmly grabbed onto Vegeta's wrist.

Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks. No one touched him without his permission – no one. "Get off me" he snarled.

"Are you going to listen to me"

"Fine, just get off me"

Chi-chi let go and placed her hands on her hips, akimbo style. "What the hell has gotten into you Vegeta?" she asked, he tone of voice anything but friendly.

"I don't have time for this, I have places I need to be" he turned to walk away, but Chi-chi quickly darted in front of him, blocking off his path "Answer me Vegeta!" she ordered.

"Fine, if you'll just get off my case and leave me the hell alone I'll talk to you"

Chi-chi smirked victoriously "What the hell is up with you Vegeta?" she repeated her first question, then added, "all this crap with you and Krillen is really starting to get old now"

"No Chi-chi, what's old is your attitude. If you just took the time to get to know Krillen you would see that you could learn a hell of a lot from him. We saw a lot of horrible stuff up on Namek, and I honestly believe that if it weren't for Krillen, I would be dead now. He helped me grow up while we were away, just because he is younger than you, doesn't mean he hasn't been through just as much shit. You really could learn from him Chi-chi" explained Vegeta "I have to go". With that, he walked off down the hall and around the corner.

Chi-chi stood there for a few minutes, dumbfounded by what she had just heard. So it was true, just like she thought – Vegeta really had gone insane up on Namek.

***

"There you are. I've been waiting here for like 10 minutes!" said Bulma as she reached up and pecked Vegeta on the cheek.

Vegeta eyed the vehicle in front of him. Bulma's car, her pride and joy. "Do you actually expect me to be seen in _this_?" he asked, never tearing his gaze from the hot pink convertible that he knew cost a hell of a lot of money.

Bulma rolled her eyes, clicked her seatbelt and revved the engine "Just get in the damn car".

He had barely even done up his seat belt before Bulma zoomed off down the driveway. He had never been driven around by her before, but she was like some kind of crazy, possessed, maniac driver who also happened to be unbelievably good looking.

Once they pulled up at the first set of traffic lights, he ejected the C.D out of the player and had to resist every urge in his body not to destroy it. What was this shit she was listening to anyway?

"Hey, what was that for?" she asked, glaring at him from behind her dark sunglasses.

"That was crap" he replied bluntly, as he tried to sink even further into the seat.

They were driving through a very up market part of town, and Vegeta knew that if anyone saw him in this car, with Bulma, it would be all over the papers tomorrow. Why didn't they just take the limo? Even if he flew he would of stood out less than he was right now. He tilted his head up and glanced at all the people zooming up above him. He couldn't remember the last time he actually flew anywhere. He probably never had.

Suddenly, he felt Bulma's hand resting on his leg and he snapped his head around to look at her. Bulma quickly remembered his rule, amazed she had forgotten in the first place and took her hand away, the traffic light changed to green, and she was thankful for the distraction. The rest of the trip passed in silence, and before they knew it, they had arrived in the magazines parking lot. Bulma cut the engine, but made no attempt to get out the car.

"Uh, listen, Vegeta," she began "about what happened before, I'm really sorry about that, I just wasn't thinking"

"Don't worry about it, woman" he replied.

Bulma chose to ignore that comment for the time being "so, you're not mad at me?" she asked

Vegeta shook his head, "not this time"

A bright smile broke onto Bulma's face and she returned to her normal happy self. "Great," she said as she jumped out the car and bounded towards the big building. Vegeta followed slowly behind her.

~

"Oh isn't this exciting?" Bulma asked. They were sitting on an ugly lime green couch in the upstairs reception, waiting for Gigi, the editor of the magazine. There was several other woman sitting around as well, most likely the other 'inspirational women'. And almost all of them, were staring at Vegeta, flabbergasted that not only were they in the same room as Prince Vegeta – the man who killed Frieza. Yet of all places, he was at a women's magazine. Bulma found it quite amusing. She leaned closer to Vegeta and whispered into his ear: "Look at all these women, they can't take their eyes off of you"

Vegeta smirked and replied, "Well with a body like mine, can you blame them?"

Bulma slapped his arm and laughed.

"Ah ladies. Glad you could all make it" a pretty middle aged women announced as she casually walked out the elevator and into the reception room, "I'm Gigi"

Bulma looked her up and down, she looked to be about as old as her mother, early 40's. She had shoulder length black hair and sparkling brown eyes. Her shiny black hair was in perfect contrast with the white sweater and black leather pants she was wearing. _'Wow'_ Bulma though to herself _'This woman really knows how to dress'_

It was about then that Gigi noticed Vegeta sitting on one of the sofas, his head resting in his hand. She seemed to stop dead in her tracks. "P…P…Prince Vegeta. Such an honor to have you in our presence"

Vegeta blinked himself out of his trance just in time to realize he was being spoken to "It's a pleasure to be here" he lied. "I'm just accompanying the wo-" he stopped himself "Ms. Briefs"

"Ah, very well then, well ladies, shall we get started?"

"Ah, ma'am," Bulma spoke up "there are only 9 women here, aren't there supposed to be 10?"

Gigi quickly did a head count, "Ah you're right dear. We're missing Liv"

Bulma's jaw dropped. Liv? She was going to be here? Bulma had to stop herself from screaming. "Shut your mouth women, that's not at all attractive" Vegeta said from beside her

"Did she just say Liv is going to be here?"

"Yeah, so? Whose Liv?" he asked

"Liv is only the biggest most amazing musician on the entire planet. She's amazing"

Vegeta had a blank expression on his face; he clearly had no idea who the she was talking about

"You almost threw her C.D out the car on the way here"

"Her!" Vegeta exclaimed much louder than necessary, attracting the attention of the other women in the room.

Gigi cleared her throat rather loudly, putting an end to Bulma and Vegeta's little conversation "if you all wouldn't mind following me this way?" she asked.

Bulma stood up and followed the rest of the woman through a small door and into hair, makeup and wardrobe, as always, Vegeta followed slowly behind

~

20 minutes later, Bulma was finished in hair and make up, and dressed in some of the latest designer clothing, and Vegeta had to admit, in the entire time he had known her, he had only ever seen her look more stunning once – at the Son Ball.

Right now, she was dressed in a black halter neck top and a pair of very short jeans shorts, which put her perfectly shaped, creamy legs on very obvious display. Her soft aqua hair had been straightened and now hung about halfway down her back and her eyes were smoldering with very dark eye makeup "What are you doing a shoot for, a women's magazine, or a porn mag?" Vegeta asked, far from thrilled with the idea that people everywhere would see his woman dressed like _that_.

"Relax Prince Vegeta," she said, trying to subtlety remind him that he wasn't supposed to care if she was 3 quarters nude or not, "it's only for a few shots, then I'll be putting some more acceptable clothing on". She playfully winked at him, then led him through a door and out onto the set of the shoot.

_'Hmmm'_ Gigi thought to herself as she stood in the makeup room "Trista!" she called to her assistant, within seconds a pretty young woman was standing by her side.

"Did you happen to notice anything between Ms. Briefs and the Prince?"

"Uh-huh, she does look awfully friendly with him doesn't she?"

"Yes," Gigi said, more to herself than to her assistant "I think there is something going on between them. If you can prove it and get me some hard evidence we'll run it as the cover story week after next"

"Consider it done!"

***

A/N; Well what did you all think? Is Trista going to be able to get the dirt on Bulma and the Prince? Find out in the next chapter of A.T.Y.K. 

P.S before you read the next chapter, please review this one. I love to hear what you all think.

~D.B


	35. Womens Business

Disclaimer; Don't own it….yet…..Mwa ha ha

A/N; I have another new chapter. Sorry it's kinda short, but the next one will be real good, I promise. Thanks to everyone who reviews the last chapter, I really love reading what you all think about my story. ~D.B

P.S; _Funky Munky_ I really wish I could tell you why this story is called And Then You'll Know, but the truth is…I can't remember. Back when I was writing the prologue I planned on taking the story in an entirely different direction than what I ended up doing, but now I can't even remember what that was.

Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to you.

And Then You'll Know 

Chapter 34 

1 year. 12 months. 365 days. Whichever way you put it, it meant the same thing. Today marked exactly one year since 18 had been so violently thrust into this life. She was quite amazed, that she had managed to survive this long actually.

She really felt like she had accomplished something by surviving down here, though she wasn't sure why. Her brother had done it for years now. But still, no one had said anything. She guessed this was the equivalent of forgetting someone's birthday. She sighed deeply; she would give anything to be able to remember what day her birthday was. The way she worked it, the very first day of the year, she became a year older. She had lost so much of her memory back when her father and Gero had 'improved' her. She had an inkling they had left her the memories of her tormented childhood just to spite her. Sometimes she had dreams or her past, but they were fuzzy, short, and more often than not, horrifying. She guessed she would never really know if the things she dreamed about ever actually happened, or if it was just her mind playing cruel tricks on her.

"Hey" 18 jumped, the new voice surprising her. She looked up to see her brother walking towards her.

"17, you shocked me," she said, following 17 with her eyes as he sat down next to her on the bed.

17 was quiet for a few minutes, but when he did speak, there was a tone in his voice that 18 had never heard before, he sounded so serious. "18…I…I know this probably isn't an easy day for you. Don't think I've forgotten. I thought you might need someone to talk to. Someone who maybe, can relate to what you're feeling"

"Remember when we we're young 17, and we used to lay in the yard and make pictures out of the clouds?"

17's face was blank, "no" he replied.

18 didn't look at him, instead her gaze dropped down to the floor, "me either" she said, her voice barely even a whisper. "I can't believe it's been a whole year. It doesn't seem like that long"

"Yeah," 17 mused out loud "a whole year since I got you back"

"You never lost me 17. I was just…on vacation"

17 shook his head and a small smile wormed its way onto his face. Even on today of all days, she had managed to make him feel better. "Well I'm glad you came back. Though I never did get a souvenir" he joked.

18 looked up and across at him and rolled her eyes, "trust me 17, you would not want a souvenir from where I was".

17 laughed, the mood in the cold room suddenly becoming a lot brighter. "Well, I know this is supposed to be a bad day and all, but I have some good news"

18 arched an eyebrow; she was extremely skeptical about the prospect of good news "what?" she asked

"I spoke to Krillen, and Tar and I are moving out of his room"

"What?" 18 asked again "really?"

"Yeah, we told him we felt we had way overstayed our welcome, and he suggested a switch"

"A switch?"

17 nodded eagerly "yeah, he's been using a room in the guest quarters, and he said we could have that, and he'll have his own room back.  He says there really nice, and we wont have to be so quiet or anything. Which will be especially good when the baby comes"

18 smiled, this was good news.

"We're making the switch tonight"

***

"Krillen!" 18 shrieked in a loud whisper, trying very hard not to laugh. It was almost 2am, and the halls were deserted. They were in the part of the palace the contained the kitchen, which was very far away from where anyone was actually sleeping, but still they had to be quiet.

But that didn't mean they couldn't have a little fun.

They had been making their way towards his room, to fetch 17 and Tarie, when Krillen had decided he had wanted to catch 18, she of course didn't want to be caught and had ran. It hadn't taken Krillen long at all to catch her and get her to the ground. Which was where they currently were.

"Krillen, you are so evil, get off me!" she tried to hit him, but he caught he fists and kissed her. He had been surprised at first that 18 was so responsive, she usually wasn't the playful type. Maybe he had just never gotten her at the right time. Well, in any case, he couldn't say he didn't like it.

"Me? Evil! Yeah right" he said and kissed her again, then helped her up off the ground. They had only taken a few steps forward when Krillen swept her up off her feet and into his arms, like he was cradling her, carrying her like she weighted nothing.

"Would an evil man carry you around like this? Or would he just drop you, like this?" he said, and let go of her, only to catch her again a second later.

18 scowled at him in the dark hallway "I swear Krillen, if you drop me…" she threatened.

"Relax babe," he said as he held her closer, "do you really think I'd drop you?"

It was only a matter of minutes until they were at Krillens bedroom. 18 – who was still in Krillens arms – knocked gently on the door, and they waited. The look 17 flashed them when he swung open the door was priceless and 18 had to bury her head in the crook of Krillens neck to stifle her laughter.

"You ready to go?" asked Krillen

"Yeah, almost. Tarie is just straightening up for you"

"You don't have to do that" insisted Krillen

"It's ok" said Tarie, as she came up beside 17, "I'm done"

Krillen quietly lead the couple down the halls of the palace, they hadn't had to worry about noise before, but now, they were walking right past peoples bedrooms, so they had to be extra quiet. Soon though, they got to the guest quarters, and Krillen opened up a room. 17 flicked on the light and took a look around, and he had to admit, he was impressed.

They weren't rooms, they were small houses. Right now, he was standing in the living room, which was connected to a kitchen. Krillen answered his mental questions as to what was behind the doors.

"The first door is a bathroom, and the other 2 are bedrooms. You'll find everything you need in there, beds, shampoo, food, and if there is anything you need – anything at all, I'll be more than happy to arrange it for you"

Tarie was at a loss for words, she wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say. "Prince Krillen, this is to much" she finally spoke up.

"Nonsense" Krillen said, the tone in his voice stating that he had just had the final word, "I only wish I could offer you somewhere better. And it's not Prince Krillen, I can't stand to be called Prince, please, it's just Krillen"

"Of course Pri…. of course Krillen"

"Now," 18 spoke up. "You two get some rest ok" she said with a smile.

Tarie was about to shut the door, and leave Krillen and 18 to do what ever they wanted, but she felt compelled to thank them one last time before she left. "18, Krillen," she placed her hand on her pregnant stomach and smiled, "Thank you. Thank you both so, very very much, if it weren't for you two, this baby would never of even had a chance"

A smile formed on 18's tired lips. Resting in Krillens arms and listing to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat had been soothing, and made her drowsy. Yet she placed her feet on the ground and took the few steps towards her friend. "Anytime Tar," she said as she wrapped her up in a hug. Smiling at 17 – who was standing behind them, as she did. "Anytime."

***

Trista grinned triumphantly to herself as she draped the I.D card over her neck. Getting into the palace had been easy enough. Book an interview with the King, then roam around freely, he would never know if one person didn't show up during the day. 

She got the end of the hall and had to stop. Pulling a map from her pocket, she carefully studied it. Apparently she was in corridor 12, section 8. And she needed to be in corridor 4, section 24. Damn this palace was big.

She wandered aimlessly down the halls for another 10 minutes, taking in everything around her, it was very plush inside the palace walls. People were running around all around her. Talking on mobile phones, reading through papers. They all had places to be, things to do.

Eventually, she arrived at the science wing. After that it wasn't too hard to find Bulma's lab. She fixed her hair, and knocked on the door. "It's open" she heard a women call from the other side.

Bulma was busily typing away at her computer, entering important data to help calculate the changes she would need to make to the G.R's. She was in desperate need of her lunch break, her stomach grumbling every few seconds.

"Ah, Ms. Brief's?"

Bulma looked over the top of her computer monitor to the unfamiliar woman walking across the lab. "Yes?" she asked, "can I help you? Are you lost?"

Trista shook her head and sat down. "I'm from Vegeta-Sei Weekly. I'm here to do a follow up report. It's standard procedure, I merely have to ask you a few questions regarding what you though of your time with us at the magazine" she lied, and lied well.

Bulma blinked and saved her work, "well, ok then".

Trista began normally enough, asking a few questions, but soon she began to stray off the topic. Bulma hadn't even noticed they had strayed, until Trista asked one certain question, "So Ms. Brief's, are you single?"

Bulma blinked, "I don't see what this has to do with the magazine, but yes, I am single".

_'Damn'_ Trista thought to herself. She had been eyeing the photo on Bulma's desk for the last 10 minutes, a shot of herself, with her arms thrown around the prince's neck. Both grinning. She needed to get her hands on that photo, and if she could get into a room with Prince Vegeta, who knew what kind of information she would be able to get.

***

18 slowly pushed open the door to Chi-chi's room, dreading what was waiting for her on the other side. But when she opened the door she was surprised to say the very least. The room was dark, and despite the fact that it was almost 11am, Chi-chi was still sleeping. 18 walked across the room on her tiptoes towards the desk, but Chi-chi had not left her a list of jobs to do.

Score!

Well, looked like she had the day off, and she didn't plan on wasting it in here. There were much better places she could waste her time.

She quickly made her way down the halls, knowing where she was going.

"18!" she stopped when she head a familiar voice call her.

"Morning Bulma" she greeted her friend, "you on your way to see Tarie?" Bulma nodded.

The pair slowed down considerably, chatting to each other as they strolled down the halls. Every now and again, 18 would find herself staring at the large black bag Bulma was clutching. She had seen bags like that before, and usually they contained things that weren't very nice.

A short time later, they got to the room where 17 and Tarie were now staying. Someone must have informed Bulma of the switch that took place the night before.

She knocked on the door, and almost straight away 17 swung the door open. Both the twins looked surprised to see each other.

"18. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working?" asked 17 as he ushered them both into the room.

"Shouldn't you?" she asked in reply.

"Well, where is she?" asked Bulma as she put her bag on the table, and began to pull things out of it.

"I'm here," announced Tarie, as she came out the bathroom and sat herself down on the couch. "Hi 18" she said with a smile

"Hey".

"Well," Bulma rubbed her hands together eagerly, "Are we ready to find out?"

"Find out what?" asked 18, she hated being out of the loop.

Both 17 and Tarie looked at her and smiled, but it was 17 who answered her query "we're finding out the sex of the baby!" he happily announced.

18's eyes lit up, she was going to find out if her little niece or nephew was indeed a little niece or nephew. She didn't particularly care what sex it was, as long as it was healthy. A girl would be nice, but a boy would be lovely as well.

The twins watched on as Bulma set a laptop computer on the coffee table, and connected several other devices to it. 17 noticed the concerned look on Tarie's face and went to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. "Don't worry," he said.

"I'm not"

All was quiet for a few minutes, they watched as Bulma moved the object she was holding around Tarie's stomach, and fuzzy black and white images were sent to the laptop screen. Soon Bulma stopped, and a happy smile spread across her face. She was content to let them sit for a few minutes, wondering. But 17 would have none of it.

"Well?" he asked impatiently

"It's a girl!" Bulma announced.

"Oh my god!" Tarie squealed, throwing her arms around 17's neck in a very tight hug. "A girl, we're going to have a daughter!"

"Congratulations" said Bulma, "and just incase you're interested. She's perfectly healthy"

18 smiled brightly. A niece, she was going to have a niece. What a great day this was turning out to be. "17, Tarie. I'm really happy for you" she said, and she truly meant it.

***

"Nappa, where is my daughter?" the King demanded to know. He was not in a good mood today.

"I don't know, sire"

"Well find out!" he snapped, "then bring her to me"

Nappa bowed deeply to King Vegeta, and then quickly exited the room. He strode down the hall, letting the passers by know he was important; after all, he was the Kings right hand man. Almost every decision the King made, Nappa had a say in, if someone wanted to see the King, they had to see Nappa first.

He came to Chi-chi's bedroom door and knocked loudly on it 3 times. At first there was no response, but soon enough the door was swung open and a very irritated princess greeted him.

"What the hell do you want Nappa?" she spat. Walking back into the room to fetch her robe and put it on.

Nappa, who had always had a very keen sense of smell, could instantly tell something was not right. "Princess Chi-chi, have you been drinking? You know it is an offence to drink before you become of age"

"You're not my father Nappa, don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do" she snapped

Nappa took a step back and scowled deeply at the obviously hung over princess, he wasn't going to argue with her, he valued his job too much "Your father wishes to speak with you ma'am"

She waved her arm listlessly in his general direction, "whatever, I'll be along shortly" she said and slammed the door in his face

***

Trista smiled, she had her treasures tucked away safely in her pocket. She was quite proud of what she had acquired. A fair bit of information from Bulma – of course, she hadn't realized she had given it. She had gotten not only one photo of the couple, but had found two more in the desk draw, and she had thought it would be hard to get back into Bulma's lab after she left, but she had just walked right on it.

Now, she just had to track down Prince Vegeta. She felt like she was about to burst with pure excitement, Vegeta was such a hunk, god she hoped he was wearing spandex.

It took her almost another half an hour of wandering, but she did find Vegeta, but he wasn't wearing spandex, instead, he was wearing a pair of casual black pants and a dark blue, short sleeved shirt. She followed him around for a minute or two, before working up the courage to call out to him.

"Oh excuse me, Prince Vegeta"

He stopped and turned around to face the woman who was calling him. Damn, she was wearing one of those stupid passes around her neck. Did he have an interview booked for today? He was almost sure he didn't. "Who are you? And what do you want?" he asked, his question short and to the point

"I am from Vegeta-sei Weekly, I was wondering if we could have a little chat"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Well…um…of course I do" she lied as she tucked some loose hair back behind her ear.

"Will it take long?"

"About 10 minutes"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, he hated the media. "Well then, follow me". He led her down several halls, until they arrived at a small sitting room. The walls were painted a pretty beige color, and adorned with lots of nice landscape photographs. The furnishings in the room were kept to a minimum, there was a tan couch and two matching armchairs, and in the middle of them, a low glass table.

"Will this do?" Vegeta asked as he flicked on the lights.

"Yes, yes this will be just perfect".

Vegeta eyed the camera that was also dangling around her neck and sighed quietly, he wasn't in the mood to smile today. Yet, if this woman wanted pictured what other choice did he have? The general population of Vegeta-sei knew Vegeta as a generally friendly kinda guy, which, if you got to know him well enough, he supposed he was.

"Well, are you going to start, or just stare at me?"

Trista cleared her throat; at least Bulma had been somewhat pleasant. "Ok, first question. Since you've arrived home from Namek, how has your life changed?"

***

After standing under a cold shower for 10 minutes, Chi-chi had to admit, she still felt like shit. She had tried drowning her sorrows with alcohol, it hadn't worked, she still felt miserable and now she had the hangover from hell.

She slowly pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and a black tank top, not really caring about getting dressed up. She quickly brushed her hair, rummaged through her medicine cabinet from some aspirin, found some, took it then headed down to see her father.

He noticed her almost as soon as she walked into the throne room. "Ah Chi-chi, I've been waiting for you"

"What can I do for you papa?" she asked, already planning to get in and out of here as fast as she could, then get back to bed.

The King sighed deeply and looked at his daughter. Somewhere along the line, he had lost her. "Are you alright dear? You haven't been yourself lately"

"I'm fine, things have just been a bit…crazy" she explain, though she knew it wasn't true

"What do you mean?" he asked, clearly not understanding what could be so 'crazy' as to make his daughter act like _this_

"Well with Namek and stuff, and I may need some more sleep"

"Darling, they boys arrived home from Namek almost 2 and a half months ago" the King stated, "Are you sure every thing is ok?"

"Yes papa"

"Well ok. But still, I have sent for someone. I thought, you might like another female to talk to, since I clearly have no idea what goes on inside those pretty little heads of yours"

Chi-chi blinked, "and who might that be papa?" she asked

"Queen Kahlia. She will be arriving here on Monday"

***

A/N; Well, what did you all think? I know it was kinda a short chapter and I hope you don't all hate me for it, but the next one will be longer. Hopefully it will be up within a few days!

Well, don't forget to review, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

~D.B


	36. Hidden Emotions

Discalimer; Still Don't own DBZ, all I own is a Finding Nemo pencil case and lunchbox…I don't own Finding Nemo either.

A/N; Well, here we go, another chapter. Sadly, I am getting very near the end of my quick updates period, since I have to go back to school in only a matter of days, but I hope that the few more chapters I will get out before then are good enough to keep you going once I am back at school and only able to update every other week.

Well, hope you like this chapter, sorry it's kinda short, but the next one is longer I swear.

~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 35**

Chi-chi scowled deeply as she threw a blue energy ball at one of the training droids, sending it plummeting to the ground of the G.R. she was currently engaged in a very intense sparing session, why, she wasn't exactly sure, but lately she had had the constant urge to train and get stronger. She also found it a good way to vent her access anger, which she had had a lot of recently.

It has been 5 days since she had had her little chat with her father. Queen Kahlia would be arriving late tonight, she didn't plan on getting up to greet her.

"Gravitational simulation terminated. Gravity returning to normal" spoke the robotic female voice of the G.R, scaring Chi-chi. She slowly descended to the ground, wiping sweat from her brow in the process. Her time must have run out. She had programmed the G.R to give her a 4-hour workout. How time flew.

***

Krillen rolled over in his bed and smiled into the pillows. It felt good to have his bed back, he hadn't realized how much he had missed it until he got it back. 17 and Tarie had done a brilliant job in keeping the room in perfect condition it was spotless. He had to say, he was very impressed.

Now though, there was only one more thing he needed to make this room perfect. Her name was 18. He looked over at the clock and sighed, it was 8.40. Breakfast would be served in 20 minutes. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a loose white tank top, if he walked quickly he would be able to get down to 18 and back just in time.

***

God she was beautiful, every time he saw her, she took his breath away. Right now she was sleeping, and the early morning sunlight shone through the window giving her a beautiful golden warm glow. He couldn't resist, slowly, so he didn't wake her, get down onto his knees and reached out.

Her skin felt like silk beneath his fingers. Nison smiled. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, after all 18 loved Krillen and Krillen loved her, but he couldn't resist. He was only further encouraged to caress her when a small smile tinged her beautiful sleeping face.

In the back of his mind, he knew what he was doing was wrong, but that thought was being silenced by thoughts of how much he loved her. He still remembered the very first time he saw her, dressed in that _very_ revealing red dress that left _nothing_ to the imagination. Even he had to admit, that in the beginning he had been attracted to her body alone – she was more than beautiful, the mere sight of her was intoxicating, and he wasn't the only one who thought that. But then he had come to know her, at first as 17's twin sister, then as herself, her amazing beautiful self. Sure, she wasn't like most others, she was cold, cynical and sarcastic and Nison couldn't at all work out why he was attracted to her, but as time went by, he realized it didn't matter why. He just was.

He also knew that she would never love him. He was a freak, a hybrid! Who would want to love that? And besides, from almost the very beginning he had been competing against Krillen, and what kind of a chance did a green slave have against her very own Prince Charming right out of the fairy tales? None! None what so ever!

Nison scowled. This was all his fault. If Krillen had never burst onto the scene, poking his head in where it was neither wanted nor needed, then this never would of happened! 18 wouldn't have fallen for him, he would of gotten her and everything would be just as it should be. But no, now everything was all messed up, and he would never be able to hold 18 close and tell her exactly how he felt.

Looking down at her, he felt the rage just slip right out of him, she was smiling again, a bigger smile this time. Nison pulled his fingers away from her cheek, and the smile instantly vanished. This intrigued him, he leaned in closer to her face, until he could smell her hair and hear her light breathing. If she woke now, she would surely kill him, but it was a chance he was willing to take to take.

All year long he had been yearning to be this close to her, right now, death seemed a small price to pay for a few seconds of happiness. He wanted to kiss her, oh god how he wanted to kiss her. Well, he reasoned with himself, he had already come this far. Why not go all the way? If she was going to kill him, he may as well die a happy man.

He took a deep shuddering breath and slowly moved his lips to meet hers. The feeling he felt when they touched was indescribable, like all the emotions one could ever experience wrapped up into one little bundle. Beneath him 18 moaned, but she continued to sleep. Nison closed his eyes, enjoying this more than anything he had ever experienced.

"What are you doing?" Nison jumped at the sound of the cool, overly calm voice behind him, and spun around. Only to be face to face with Krillen.

"I…uh…er" he stammered, scared out of his wits.

"I'm going to ask you one more time" Krillens voice took on a more deadly tone this time as he peered down at Nison, who was still on his knees "What were you doing?" he asked slowly.

Nison still hadn't found his voice. He really didn't need to answer, it was obvious what he had been doing.

"How could you?" Krillen asked quietly, careful not to wake 18 up "18 is your friend. How could you betray her like that?"

"I…I…I don't know what came over me" he finally admitted, "it's just that, she's so beautiful and…" Krillen cut him off

"Shut it Nison. I don't want hear your romantic thoughts on _my_ girlfriend, and for that matter, I don't want anyone else to hear them either" he said.

Nison lowered his eyes, he was ashamed of what he had done, but it had just felt so right. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

18 stirred again and her eyes began to flutter open. "I think you should go" suggested Krillen as he sat down on 18's bed and took her hand, there was no room in his voice for argument though. Nison nodded his head and promptly got up and left.

Krillen watched him go, while he appeared calm about the whole thing on the outside, inside he was about ready to explode. How dare Nison do that? He had been standing there long enough to see what was going on. How long it had been going on before he got there was an un-pleasant mystery, and even worse the idea that this might not be the first time it had happened. It was infuriating! If Krillen didn't possess as much self control as he did, he would of kicked Nison's butt right then and there. He may have been a friendly, docile guy most of the time, but when someone did something hurtful or disrespectful to someone he cared about, his true Sayian instincts came out and he got vicious. It wasn't a pretty sight. In his rage, Krillen didn't realize he had squeezed 18's hand harder and harder until she awoke with a painful yelp.

"Ouch!" she sat up in bed and looked at Krillen, wondering why the hell he had just done that. "What was that for?" she asked as she carefully nursed one hand with the other.

Krillen jumped back in shock, that had been a total accident.

"18!" his eyes instantly filled with regret "I was just thinking and I guess I got a little mad. Oh god, I'm so sorry sweetheart, are you ok?" he asked as he took 18's sore hand and kissed it a few times.

18 looked at him oddly, a mixture of shock, confusion and sleepiness on her face. "I think I'll be alright. You just shocked me"

Nison heard her scream and instantly turned around and ran back in the other direction. He arrived just to see Krillen kissing her hand, then moving up to her neck, then her lips.

"Was that you before?" 18 asked as she kissed Krillens forehead. Krillen shot Nison a terrifying glare, just daring him to blab his secret. "Yeah babe," he lied, covering for the half Namekian boy "It was me, I didn't want to wake you."

***

"Woman, what the hell is that thing?" asked Vegeta as he walked up behind Bulma. She turned around to greet him and he had to chuckle. She was dressed in a pair of baggy denim overalls and wearing a black tank top underneath. Her blue hair was tied up in a ponytail to keep it off her very dirty face. She was covered from head to toe in grease, oil and other dirty substances. Vegeta had to admit, it was a turn on.

"This, Veg" she used her pet name for him "it my greatest invention ever!" she exclaimed. Vegeta's eyes widened, that was a pretty big statement when you though about some of her other inventions such as capsules and the Gravitation Rooms. "Ever?" he asked skeptically, "it looks like an upright coffin"

Bulma scowled and placed her hands on her hips "Just wait until you see what this baby can do! I'll go down in history for this!" she was clearly very excited about what ever it was she was making.

Vegeta walked around her and tapped the box, nothing happened; he did a circle around it and noticed a myriad of wires and cables protruding from the back of what ever it was. "Would you mind explaining to me exactly what this thing does?" he asked.

Bulma shook her head and picked up a spanner "Not until it's finished" she said, as she resumed her task.

"Whatever"

"Well anyway, did you come down here for any reason in particular?" she asked as she fiddled around with some of the wires.

"Lunch." Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked around the contraption and up at him, "lunch?" she asked, "in the science and technologies wing?"

"You are a fool woman. I came to get you for lunch"

Bulma laughed, winked at him and said; "Just give me a few minutes to clean up"

~

A few minutes ended up being almost half an hour. Vegeta was bored senseless, not to mention very hungry. But eventually Bulma was done and clean. She had changed out of her overalls and into a denim mini skirt and a pale pink tee shirt.

"So, she asked as they left her office and strolled down the hall. Where are we eating today? The cafeteria or the kitchen?"

"Woman, why would I want to eat B-Grade food from the employee cafeteria, when the cooks can cook us anything we want?" he asked

"Because we usually eat the same damn thing they have in the employee cafeteria, but take an extra 10 minutes getting to it, because you want to park you butt in a comfortable chair" Bulma explained with a smirk and a giggle.

"Damn straight" said Vegeta and picked up the pace. Bulma jogged to catch up with him and linked her arm through his.

They arrived at the Royal family's kitchen, where a team of cooks were standing by 24 hours a day. It was a very fancy kitchen, with state of the art appliances and a long glass table with big cushy chairs for the Royal family to sit at. Of course, this wasn't where they ate breakfast and dinner; those meals were serves in the formal dining hall. This was just where they came during the course of the day if they were feeling peckish.

"Prince Vegeta, what can we get you?" asked one of the women. He looked at Bulma who shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn't care what she ate. "Anything is fine" he replied, and then sat down next to Bulma. She was flipping through the latest edition of Vegeta-sei weekly that had been left open on the table; one of the cooks had obviously been reading it. Bulma's story had been in last week's edition, and she had been on the cover with the other nine women, and she had to say, she looked damn hot, dressed in her short shorts and halter top. But this was a new edition of the magazine. The article it was currently open on was a recipe for some yummy looking dessert, which seemed fitting, as it had been a cook reading it.

She flipped the magazine shut, so she could see what the main features on the cover were…

And almost died when she saw!

There, on the front cover was a big picture of herself and Vegeta, and the words 'Prince Vegeta…Taken!'

"Vegeta!" she called desperately as she waved the magazine around in his face, "What the hell is this?!"

He snatched it off her, and carefully studied the cover; she watched his expression change from placid to downright scary in a matter of seconds. He looked furious.

"How the hell did this get out?!" he roared, scaring Bulma senseless.

"I don't know Vegeta"

He was quiet for the next few minutes as he read through the article, the writer hadn't been disclosed. Suddenly he stood up and stormed out the kitchen, Bulma chased after him.

"Vegeta where are you going?" she asked, having to run to keep up with him.

"To find out what the fuck is going on here!"

She followed him down the hall, just as mad as he was. How had it gotten out? They had been so careful. They had even gotten a picture of them together. And where and when had they got that information? Well, by now half of Vegeta-sei would know about their relationship. Great, just fantastic. Whatever private life they had once had, had just gone out the window, but who, who could have ratted them out. One person instantly came to mind.

Chi-chi, she had been acting wired for months now, they hardly even spoke anymore, once maybe twice a week if they were lucky. She had become cold, distant and even meaner than she usually was. She still wasn't talking to Vegeta, and hardly speaking with Bulma. A deep scowl settled on Bulma's face. If it was her, she had just stooped to low. Taken it one step to far.

They walked into Vegeta's bedroom and he picked up the phone and dialed in the number of the magazine, it was printed on the back cover.

"Hello, Vegeta-sei weekly, how may I help you?" came the monotonous voice of the receptionist

"Get me the editor," he demanded "Now!"

"I'm sorry Sir, Ms. Gigi doesn't not speak to anyone without an appointment.

"Now you listen here. This is Prince Vegeta you are speaking to, and I demand to speak to the editor right this second!"

The receptionist went quite then mumbled some sort of apology, then the line went dead again. The next time someone spoke, it was Gigi. She sounded calm, like she had no idea Vegeta was about to come down there and kill her. "Ah, Prince Vegeta, I was expecting a call from you. Did you enjoy our feature article?" she asked, seeming very pleased with herself.

Vegeta was at a loss for words for a few minutes, Bulma looked at him, a very curious expression on her pretty features. Vegeta pressed a button to switch the phone to speaker.

"Excuse me, Gigi," Bulma began, trying to be at least someone civilized, but Vegeta cut in before she got to continue.

"What in the hell were you thinking printing that article? You had no rights to do so, neither of us ever agreed to such a thing. Why I have every mind to get my fathers lawyers onto you!" he threatened. He was mad, he had been trying so hard to keep this a secret, and now here, out of nowhere, it just burst out onto a planet wide publication.

Gigi only began to laugh at the threat of the planets top lawyers attacking her magazine. Bulma and Vegeta looked at each other with identical confused expressions on their faces. Was this woman insane or something?

"Vegeta, Bulma, dears," Vegeta raised an eyebrow, did she just call them _dears_? "Your lawyers can't touch me. They story we ran was perfectly legal"

Vegeta gritted his teeth together "Explain!" he growled out.

Gigi laughed again, "Very well. Ms. Briefs signed a contract with us when she came in for her initial story, did she not?"

Bulma nodded dumbly, not understanding where she was going with this "yeah" she said quietly, "so what?"

"Well dears, that contract allowed us full access to any stories involving you for the next 12 months. I guess we couldn't have found a better story than this one, hey?"

"What?!" Bulma was mad and confused, "That's insane, you can't do that!"

"Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to mess with the palace of Vegeta-sei? Everything I did was perfectly legal dear. If you wanted to avoid this you should of one, kept it more private, or two read you contracts more carefully in the future. I'm sorry Ms. Briefs, we own you for the next 12 months" she said, and Bulma could tell that wherever she was, she was smiling the deranged lunatic she was.

Vegeta grunted and slammed the receiver down on the telephone with a little more force than necessary, effectively breaking the phone in two.

Bulma buried her head in her hands and sunk down onto the bed next to Vegeta. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. This is all my fault. I am so so sorry. I should of read the contract more carefully!" she started to thump herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand.

"Stop that" Vegeta said, grabbing hold of her wrist.

"You must hate me now. Damn it, why do I always have to screw everything up?" Bulma sniffed back tears, she didn't want to cry. She was 23 years old, 23 year olds didn't cry.

"I don't hate you women. I'm not very happy with you, but I don't hate you."

***

The King was the only one up to greet Kahlia. It was about 1.30 am when her ship landed at the docking station and she walked out. The King quickly rushed to her side to help with her suitcases.

"Welcome back" he said with a smile.

"Thank-you for having me"

"It's always a pleasure having you here"

They walked side by side down the long, dark empty halls of the palace. All the King could think about was the smell of Kahlia's hair. It was so pleasantly intoxicating; he had never smelled anything quite like it in all of his years. Before long, they arrived at the guest quarters of the palace and he showed Kahlia which room she was to be staying in.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, or would you just like to go to sleep?" asked the King, standing in the doorway of Kahlia's room.

"Actually," Kahlia started as she undid her hair from the tight bun it was in on top of her head and let it cascade down her back, "I was hoping you would be able to fill me in on this Chi-chi problem"

"Ah, but of course" replied the King, stepping further into the room and sitting himself down on the couch. She sat beside him and listened intently to the long and at times confusing tale of Chi-chi and her constant downward spiral of the last few months.

"So," Kahlia began once Vegeta had finished filling her in on his daughter, "How are your son's doing"

The Kings eyes lit up and he smiled warmly at the Queen from a distant planet "They are doing just fine. Vegeta has got himself a lovely girlfriend. Her father is the palaces top researcher, but she is fast outdoing him in the field of science. And Krillen, well Krillen is Krillen, he's always happy. That boy is eternally optimistic"

The Queen smiled. She hadn't realized it, but she had been taking with the King for almost an hour. He looked like his eyes were about to drop out of his head. "Go to bed" she said, the words smooth on her lips.

The King smiled gratefully, he had had a busy day, and right now he was desperately after some sleep. "Alright then" he said, "I'll see you at breakfast"

"That you will"

"Good night"

"No, Good morning"

***

Chi-chi threw a pillow across the room and screamed in angry frustration. She couldn't take this anymore. "18!" she yelled, a few seconds later 18 emerged from the bathroom "Yes ma'am?" she asked

"Go and wash something, I need to be alone for a while" she ordered

"But ma'am, I already did all of your laundry" replied 18, rolling her eyes.

Chi-chi stomped over to her wardrobe, pulled half of it's content out and threw it at 18. "There! Go wash that"

18 mumbled something under her breath and left the room.

As soon as Chi-chi was sure she was well out of hearing distance, she dived for her phone and dialed in an all to familiar number. It rang a few times before anyone picked it up.

"Son Manner. Who may I ask is calling?"

"This is Chi-chi. Is Kakkarot available to speak"

"Hold please". The line went dead. Chi-chi waited for what seemed like an eternity until finally Kakkarot's voice could be heard.

"Chi, is that you?" he asked

"Yeah," she replied, "it's me"

"Um…what can I do for you?" he asked. They hadn't spoken for almost 3 weeks; he had doubted they were even a couple any more.

"I just miss you. I wanted to say sorry Kakkarot. Can you forgive me?" she asked, almost begged.

"Of course I forgive you. I'll be around soon ok"

"Ok then" said Chi-chi, she hadn't been expecting him to be so willing to forgive, but she wasn't complaining

"C'ya soon, bye" he said and he hung up the phone.

~

20 minutes later, there was a knocking on Chi-chi's door. She finished adjusting her hair in the mirror then ran over to the door and flung it open. "Kakkarot!" she threw her arms around her neck and he in turn wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"I'm missed you Chi," he admitted as he inhaled deeply, her hair smelt wonderful. They walked into the room and sat down on the bed.

"Kakkarot I…" she trailed off, not really knowing what she wanted to say.

He put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "It's ok," he said.

They sat there in silence for the longest time. Neither of them really knew what to say.

"So," Kakkarot finally spoke up, "I don't see 18 anywhere"

Chi-chi blinked, wondering why he had brought her up "no, she's doing some laundry" she replied.

Chi-chi couldn't see it, but Kakkarot frowned. He moved away from Chi-chi and looked at her sternly, "so you didn't let her go?" he asked, his tone of voice more serious than Chi-chi had ever heard it.

Chi-chi shook her head, "No. Why would I?"

Kakkarot shook his head and looked at Chi-chi, "Chi, that why we were fighting in the first place, remember? I wasn't happy with the way you were treating 18"

Chi-chi blinked slowly, "I thought we were fighting because I was mad at you, for coming to see Krillen" she admitted.

"Well I guess it was a bit of miscommunication, but either way, you still haven't let 18 go" she Kakkarot as he stood up.

Chi-chi stood up to, raising her voice a little "And I don't plan to. Like I said, she is mine and I can do what I want with her"

"Ok then, but you'll have to do it with out me around" said Kakkarot calmly.

"What?!" Chi-chi asked, clearly shock "You're breaking up with me?"

Kakkarot shook his head, "I'm not breaking up with you, you just need some more time to think. I'll call you in a few days ok" he said, then without another word, he left.

Chi-chi was to shocked to follow after him.

***

A/N; Well, what did you all think. I'd love to hear in a review. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a few days ok.

~D.B


	37. Ripped At The Seams

Disclaimer; Still down own it…..WHY DON'T I OWN DBZ…Life's unfair!

A/N; Ok everyone I have an announcement to make the official **Krillen and 18 Campaign** is hereby underway. What's that? I hear you ask, well my faithful reviews, the Krillen and 18 Campaign is something that I urge all of you K/18 fans out there to take a look at…for more information check out my bio and please join…I want to recruit as many people as possible. Well I hope you'll all consider joining and I also hope you'll all enjoy this chapter.

~Deadly Beauty

And Then You'll Know 

Chapter 36 

It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun was just beginning to rise over the land, and coat everything it is warm golden glow. The palaces youngest prince, had already been up for quite some time now, busing himself preparing for a beautiful surprise.

Despite the rising sun, it was still quite fresh outside, and Krillen was glad that he had chosen to wear a jacket as he wandered the paths surroundings beautiful lush gardens. It had been a long time since he had simply walked, it was something he had immensely enjoyed.

In his hand was a rather large, yet hastily picked bunch or pretty colored flowers. He knew the gardeners didn't like it when he picked them, but he couldn't very well go into town and buy his own. He looked down at his watch and smiled. Turning on his heel, he headed towards the entry to the gardens, he walked up the few steps and waited just beside the heavy wooden door. A few minutes later, it was pushed open and 18 walked out.

"It's cold out here" was the first thing she said. Krillen, being the gentleman that he was, took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulder, "There ya go babe"

"Thanks," she said as she tucked a strand of hastily brushed hair behind her ear, "Now, what did you drag me out here for?"

"Follow me"

He led her out of the gardens and towards the back of the palace grounds. She knew where they were going. "Krillen," her voice was unsteady "Do we have to?" she asked. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "trust me"

The walked thought the gates to the cemetery, right towards the center. 18 knew that Krillen's mother was buried here. They approached the grave and kneeled down in front of it.

"This isn't the surprise, we are just stopping here for a minute" 18 silently nodded, paying her respects to the Queen. They sat in silence for some time, each deep in their own thoughts. 18 was only vaguely aware of what was going on around her when Krillen took hold of her hand and lead her down some more paths. Before she had even realized it, they were on the ground again. This time, in front of Astrid's grave. Straight away, she could tell something was different, and it only took her a second to see what.

Before, Astrid's grave stood alone, there were no other graves surrounding it, but now, next to Astrid's final resting place, was another tomb stone, 18 couldn't read it though, as there was a piece of red silk cloth covering it.

Krillen handed her a bunch of bright flowers and she gently placed them in front of Astrid's grave, but she never took her eyes of the mysterious new tomb.

"Krillen, what is that?" she asked

"Read it" Krillen urged her.

"Alright" 18 said quietly, she reached forward and grasped onto the cloth, pulling it away, she carefully read over the inscription in the freshly cut stone.

Bianca 

_Mother to the beautiful twins. She died for the ones she loved._

May she rest in peace 

18 opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was overwhelmed, utterly lost for words. The tomb was carved out of white stone and engraved with gold writing.

"It's only a memorial, but I hope you like it"

"Krillen" she uttered his name like it was the most sacred word ever to be spoken. "I…I…I don't know what to say" her voice left her lips as nothing more than a whisper.

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and flashed her a warm smile, "Just tell me you like it"

She was quite for a while longer, still not being able to form a sentence in her head, that when it left her lips, would possess enough thanks and gratitude. This, this was too much. It was more than anyone had ever done for her and her brother, an everlasting monument to the woman who had fought so hard and given so much to try and save her children.

"Krillen…I…" she stopped and let a long sigh escape her lips. Krillen didn't push her; he knew what she was going through. "Thank-you" she finally said, "This is…amazing. You didn't need to do this"

"I know I didn't need to. But I wanted to. For you and for 17 and for everyone else who has suffered."

She turned to look at him; her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, "You are amazing. I don't deserve you Krillen"

"Don't say that 18. Please don't say that. This is a happy day. I don't want you thinking like that. Understand?"

18 nodded her head then rested it on Krillens shoulder.

They stayed like that for almost an hour, basking in the cool morning sun. Neither of them wanted to move. 18 because she was utterly amazed at what she was seeing before her. A memorial to her long deceased mother, right beside her best friend. Where she could be loved and remembered for generations to come, and even better. 17 would be able to bring his own daughter up here and share with her the beautiful memories of her grandmother that he undoubtedly had locked away in his mind.

Before either of them had realized it, voices could be heard. People were beginning to stroll the paths to pay respects to the loved ones who were no longer with them. 18 felt her stomach churn when she heard laughter. Laughter! In a place like this!

"I have to go" she said standing up and brushing dirt off of her exposed knees.

"Must you?" Krillen asked as he to, stood up. 18 unzipped Krillens jacket and handed it to him. "Unless you want to be burying me here next, I have to go"

Krillen couldn't argue with that. Instead, he stood there and watched as she disappeared from the safety of his view, and ventured into the unknown.

***

She strutted down the halls, looking forward to a good sweat. She had long since decided that she wanted, no, needed to get into better physical shape. If not for herself, then for her people.

Walking into the foyer of the training complex, she looked around. 3 G.R's were already in use. She got in luck, in one of them Chi-chi was training. Kahlia terminated the gravity simulation and stepped inside the room.

"What?" chi-chi mumbled to herself. Someone turned the gravity off. Looking around the room, she laid her eyes on the culprit. A woman dressed in a hot pink spandex, her long pale pink hair tied in a braid and the whole ensemble toped of with a pair of killer black-heeled boots. It was Queen Kahlia.

"So," she called up to the Princess "you quite content to kill the air, or are you up for a real challenge?"

Chi-chi gritted her teeth together and dropped into a fighting stance mid air. "Bring it on"

Kahlia jumped up into the air and charged at Chi-chi. She was quite a few years older than the young princess, and naturally had a little more fighting experience under her belt. She had many a trick up her sleeve that Chi-chi hadn't been expecting.

They traded blows silently for almost an hour, with no real winner emerging. Every time one woman look sure to win, the other would pull something out of seemingly nowhere and get herself right back into the match.

Chi-chi was mad. She wasn't winning this battle, which by the process of elimination, meant she was loosing. And she hated to lose. Her Ki exploded around her, stunning Kahlia for a minute; Chi-chi took that as her opportunity, and lashed out at the Queen, effectively sinking her fist into her jaw.

The Queen however, wasted no time in her revolt, and with one swift roundhouse kick to the midsection, sent Chi-chi plummeting to the cold hard floor of the G.R.

Cursing to herself, Chi-chi attempted to stand up, but something was stopping her. Opening her eyes, she realized it was Queen Kahlia's foot, planted firmly on her chest.

"Well," said Kahlia crossing her arms over her own chest "I can't say I'm not impressed."

Chi-chi snorted and wiped a trail of blood from her lip "What do you mean not impressed? I am 10 times the fighter you are"

Kahlia shook her head removed her foot from Chi-chi's chest and offered her hand to help Chi-chi up. "What's happened to you?" she asked as she picked a towel up off the floor and wiped her brow with it

"What do you mean? I'm as fit as I've ever been"

"No Chi-chi, I'm not talking about that. You've become so aggressive and hostile. Your father has every right to be worried about you"

"My father has nothing to do with this"

The two women walked out into the foyer, towards the vending machines. They both got out a bottle of water, and sat down on the couches, continuing their little chat.

"Well whether he does or not, he is still worried about you. Tell me, is everything going alright for you at the moment?"

She tried not to say anything, but she was mad. Without thinking about it, she crushed the water bottle in her hand and threw it halfway across the room. "Of course everything is not alright! It hasn't been alright for months now!" she screamed, anger consuming her entire being.

"Chi-chi, calm down. We can help you. Your father and I want to help you"

She narrowed her eyes on the Queen, and spoke to her in a tone harsher than she had ever used with anyone "You stay away from my father! You hear me! I see the way you two look at each other. It's sick! Well I swear it, I will kill my own father before I let him get anywhere near you," she sneered, then stood up "You disgust me!" and with that, she stormed out the room, leaving a stunned and shocked Kahlia behind.

** *

"I am so great"

"No you're not"

"Yes I am"

"Woman, I can assure you, that you are not."

Bulma spun around to face Vegeta, a kind of amused smirk on her face. She was great and she knew it.

"Vegeta, do you have any idea of you have just witnessed the creation of?" she asked him.

"An upright coffin?"

Bulma rolled her eyes, "for the millionth time, it is _not_ an upright coffin!"

"Sure looks like it" said Vegeta, knowing exactly how much Bulma hated it, "Is it finished yet? Are you going to tell me what it does now?"

"Yes Vegeta, it is finished. After 3 long weeks, my greatest project ever is complete"

"Well what the hell is it?"

"This Vegeta. Is a Regeneration Tank"

"A Regena-what?"

Bulma rolled her eyes, and began to explain it in simple terms for her sometimes dim-witted boyfriend. "Ok. Just imagine you get really badly hurt in battle, and you have pretty much no chance of survival. Well now, thanks to this baby, all some has to do it pop you in here for a few hours, leave you be and when they come back, you'll be as good as new"

Vegeta looked stunned "Woman, that is in-genius!" Exclaimed Vegeta, he seemed genuinely impressed.

"I know, and I did it all by myself" she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him, "I told you it was my best invention yet"

"Who else knows about this?" asked Vegeta

Bulma shook her head, "No one," she said "not daddy, not the head of science, not the King. No one. I have a meeting arranged with the board tomorrow, and I plan on presenting it to them then. Do you think they'll love it?"

"Woman, if they don't love this, then they are all insane"

"Don't call me woman!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the office door. "Come in" Bulma called. It was 18. Vegeta took that as his cue to leave.

"Hi 18, what's up?" asked Bulma as she sat down in her chair and motioned for 18 to do the same.

"Nothing really. Just bored I guess, this is the second time in 2 weeks Chi-chi hasn't given me a task sheet. You're not busy are you?"

"I'm never to busy for friends. You should count yourself lucky, you have a day off" sad Bulma with a smile. 18 only shook her head though

"This only means I'll have double the work tomorrow"

"Oh"

18 sighed, "It sucks to be me"

"Hey don't say that"

"Why not? It's true." Bulma had nothing to say to that, she could only offer 18 hollow condolences, "Don't worry, I'm sure things will start looking up really soon"

"So, how are things going with you and Vegeta?"

Bulma threaded her fingers through her hair and pulled on it, "Well after that fiasco with the newspaper last week, it's been pretty crazy. But apart from that, things have been going great. How about you and Krillen?"

A small, but telltale smile appeared on 18's face "Fantastic," she replied dreamily. You'll never guess what he did"

"What?" asked Bulma, eager to find out.

"He got a memorial plaque for my mother. It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me"

"You're mother isn't with us anymore? 18, I'm so sorry"

"It's alright," said 18, though the pain in her voice was obvious "she was killed a long time ago"

***

"Sire" called Kahlia as she pushed open the door to the throne room.

The King looked up and smiled when he saw the Queen. She had changed out of her training attire and into a white pants suit. "Ah, Queen Kahlia. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was hoping we could have a talk"

"Of course"

She motioned around the room with her eyes, "in private"

"Of course. Nappa, I'm taking a break"

"Yes Sire"

~

They walked thought the lush palace gardens and eventually stopped by a bench, they sat down, but neither of them talked for quite some time.

"So, what did you wish to speak to me about?" the King finally asked

Kahlia sighed, "Your daughter"

"Chi-chi" the King didn't sound to thrilled, "What has she done now?"

"I don't think I can help her, Vegeta."

He looked upset; "I take it you spoke with her then"

"Yes," she nodded, "we sparred, then we spoke, she only abused me though"

"I'll speak with her"

"No, don't. You'll only make it worse".

He sighed deeply, took his crown off his head and massaged his temples. He didn't know what to do. Chi-chi had become impossible. She was abusive, rude, just plain horrible. She had shut Kakkarot right out, destroyed her relationship with Vegeta, didn't want to know Bulma anymore. It was killing him to see his only daughter just throw her life away, for no apparent reason, he had no idea why she was acting the way she was, and in turn, knew no way to help her. She wouldn't talk to anyone, rarely came out of her room except to train.

It was driving him crazy not knowing what to do, which was why he had turned to Queen Kahlia. He had thought, being a woman, maybe she would be able to help. But alas, he had been wrong.

Sighing deeply, he turned to look Kahlia in her sparking green eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, "I never should have asked you to come down here"

"It's alright," said Queen Kahlia. Briefly, her hand brushed up against the King's "Maybe there is still something we can do for her"

"Like what?"

"I don't know"

King Vegeta titled his head back and watched the fluffy white clouds roll across the sky. It was relaxing to imagine you were one of them, or that all of your troubles would float away when the clouds did. He didn't know how long he had been gazing upwards for, seconds, minutes. But it was the sound of Queen Kahlia's sweet voice that brought him back to reality.

"King Vegeta?" she tapped his shoulder to see if he was even awake or if he had dozed off. His head snapped forward, and he looked around, clearly startled.

"Oh…sorry Kahlia. I guess I just…" he stopped and thought, "I guess I don't really know what happened just then".

Kahlia laughed, thought it was a very polite, lady like kind of laugh, and she stood up. "Well, King Vegeta, I best be getting back indoors now. I'll leave you be with your thoughts." She said, and disappeared inside.

He didn't attempt to follow her

***

"I…I know I haven't been up here for quite some time, and I know there really is no excuse for not visiting sooner. But…can you forgive me? Please?" she sat quietly for some time, as if waiting for a reply, but when none came, she continued to speak.

"I don't know where else to turn. My life…it's getting more than I can handle, I've gotten in to deep and I just keep on sinking. I think there is no help left for me now. I don't know where to turn. I want to be helped, but I've turned everyone who could help me away. There is no one, nothing left for me anymore. If this keeps up, I'll be joining you soon, mother"

Chi-chi wiped the moisture of her tear stained cheeks, but more just kept coming. She was scared, scared and confused. She didn't want to turn to Kakkarot; she loved him too much to burden him with her troubles and risk loosing him. But on the other hand, if she couldn't confide in him with her problems, what could she turn to him for?

Chi-chi ran her hands over the smooth marble of the tombstone. It was beginning to chip away around the edges, and it was no longer shiny, it had gone dull with age and the writing was getting hard to read. It was sad, that something like this could go forgotten for so long.

There were other people around her, but she paid them no heed. She was aware that they probably saw her, noticed her tears. But she didn't care. Not only was she mourning the death of the only woman in her life, but having to grow up without a mother.

Suddenly, she felt very very angry.

~

Her blonde hair blew around in the mid afternoon breeze, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it to stay in place. It was frustrating, and in her seemingly unprovoked anger she picked up a clod of dirt and threw it in any general direction, not really caring where it landed.

There was however, a much deeper reason for her to be angered. Right now, she was mad with everything. Mad with herself, mad with 17, mad with Krillen and especially mad with Chi-chi. She felt like she hated everything, like there was no one left on her side, and she had been left totally alone and defenseless. The cause of her anger was unknown to her, she had been doing some of Tarie's work, and then all of a sudden, she was mad. Angry at everything and everyone around her.

She had hoped that coming up here to this place of eternal sleep and rest, she would be able to calm down. It had helped a little. Being near her mothers and Astrid's memorials.

She wiped at her tear stained cheeks, but she only served to rub the moisture around, not stop it. Creating dirty mud streaks all across her face

"Mother, Astrid. Help me, I'm scared, so scared. Everything is happening so fast and I feel like I'm loosing control" she pulled at the roots of her hair and smashed her fists on the ground, creating two decent sized creators.

~

Chi-chi eyed the dirt debris that had landed only meters away from her and smashed into thousands of tiny pieces. Had someone intentionally thrown that at her? Because if they had…. She stood up and craned her neck around, her eyes falling on the perfect pray for her to vent her upset anger on.

She strutted along the old stone paths of the cemetery towards her young blonde slave. She hadn't left her a task list today; she wanted to given her one double the length tomorrow. Now stalking towards her unsuspecting pray, a certain fire burned in her eyes. She wanted something, and she always got what she wanted.

She stopped just behind 18 and crossed her arms over her chest. After a few minutes it became apparent that she wasn't going to turn around, either because she simply didn't realize Chi-chi was there, or was ignoring her.

"Get up 18!" she spat, choosing to assume that 18 was merely ignoring her.

18 jumped and almost bit her tongue. Chi-chi! What was she doing here? Slowly, 18 stood up, she didn't want to face Chi-Chi, but she didn't really have a choice, she was probably about to get a beating either way. "Ma'am" she greeted Chi-chi, customarily bowing to her.

"Cut the crap 18. I know you hate me, and I despise you too. Way I see it, the less I have to look the better"

18 swallowed hard. That didn't sound to good. Without realizing it, she raised all her defenses, clenching her fists and flexing what little muscle she had. Preparing her body for the onslaught it was undoubtedly about to receive.

"18, if we ever meet again, tell me what it's like to die in a cemetery. Kind of ironic isn't it?" mocked Chi-chi and before 18 even had a chance to respond jumped up and kicked her in the side of the face, sending her flying.

She didn't want to get up, if she lay here long enough, maybe Chi-chi would think she was dead. But whatever chance she had of faking it, was taken away from her by the need to breath, coughing, and spitting blood out of her mouth.

"So, that wasn't enough hey?" Chi-chi hauled 18 up by the collar of her worn, dirty shirt. Chi-chi considered blasting her at point blank range for a second. It would be an effective way to destroy her, and involved minimal mess. But then Chi-chi reconsidered, she wanted 18 to experience a long and painful death.

She rammed her fist into the younger girls stomach, 18's knees buckled and she fell, her shirt collar cutting off her air supply. Chi-chi grinned as she watched 18 squirm and try to breath.

Yet another reason why she hated her so much popped into her mind and added fuel to the fire. 18 was beautiful, it was undeniable, with her crystal clear blue eyes and unusual blonde hair coloring. If only she had more meat on her, she would be almost as pretty as Chi-chi herself, and if one couldn't hate someone for being beautiful, then what could you hate them for?

Letting go of 18's shirt she watched on for a few minutes in slight amusement as she gasped for air, her face going from blue to red back to its regular flesh color.

It was time for round two.

She waited while 18 staggered to her feet, before planting her fist into her temple. Then she quickly followed up with a knee in the stomach causing 18 to double over in pain, and finally Chi-chi elbowed her in the back. It was all over so quickly, that the other few people in the cemetery hadn't even noticed anything had happened

18 fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Her midsection was burning from the repeated attacked on her liver and kidneys. Blood was flowing from a severe gash in her head, streaming down her face and running on to the ground, forming a pool of blood all around her.

Tucking her hair back behind her ears, Chi-chi smirked triumphantly, with one more hard kick to the stomach; she watched on as 18's frail body suddenly went into violent convulsions and large clumps of blood oozed out of her mouth.

Turning on her heel, Chi-chi walked off, feeling very proud of herself. If everyone was going to hate her, than she would give them good reason to do so, and killing an innocent slave seemed a perfectly good way to start.

***

17 strolled along at a leisurely pace, after all, he was in no rush. The sun was beginning to sink behind the mountains and give everything a beautiful orange glow. He enjoyed days like this, it made it seem like his life wasn't so bad. Well really, his life wasn't half as bad as it had been 8 months ago. Then, he had been living on the brink of death, often going days without food, rarely bathing and living in extremely unsanitary conditions. Now though, thing were better, he ate 3 good meals a day, bathed when ever he felt like it, got up each morning, worked all day and went home at night to his family-to-be, his two precious girls who he would do absolutely anything to for.

His daughter hadn't even been born yet, and already he loved her more than life itself. She was truly a miracle, although an unplanned miracle and even though he had never seen her, he thanked god everyday for bringing her to them.

He counted down the days until he would be able to hold her in his arms, kiss her, tell her that her daddy loved her and would always be there for her no matter what. That he would never let anything happen to her, protect her from everything to the absolute best of his ability.

17, a father. Every time he heard someone say it, it wounded wired. He couldn't be father, not him. But yes, it was true. In only 2 short months, he would be able to hold his baby girl.

"17!" he heard someone call his name. He stopped, turned around and saw Krillen walking towards him. Once he caught up, they continued to walk, "I don't suppose you have seen your sister have you?"

17 shook his head, "no, I'm heading up to the cemetery now thought, she might be up there"

Krillen nodded in agreement and picked up the pace, 17 walked a little faster to keep up with him.

"So," Krillen attempted to begin a conversation "is your new room ok?"

17 smiled "It's perfect. Tarie and I couldn't ask for anything more"

"That's good. I'm really glad that you two are happy"

"Did 18 tell you we found out the sex of the baby?"

"Oh yeah she did" said Krillen with a bright smile, "A girl, congratulations!"

"Thanks"

The pair arrived at the gates to the cemetery quickly. They didn't stop though; they continued to walk up the gentle slope to the back of the cemetery where Astrid was buried.

Once they reached the site, 17 dropped to his knees and read over the memorial plaque, Bulma had told him about it earlier that day.

"You did this?" 17 asked, looking up at Krillen. Krillen nodded and looked around, he couldn't see 18 anywhere.

"Thank-you. This will make her smile…" he was going to say something else, but he abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Krillen

17 looked down at his hands, they were covered in blood. Looking at the ground he noticed a thin stream of blood coming from further up the hill…and he had to put his hand right in it.

"Blood," 17 answered Krillen question as he stood up. He didn't have a very good feeling about this. Setting off, he followed the flow, Krillen close behind.

Where was it coming from? Had an animal found it's dinner and left the bloody remains behind? It soon became apparent that the blood was coming from behind a large tombstone. 17 took a step closer to investigate.

"What is it?" asked Krillen.

17 didn't reply.

"17?" Krillen sounded alarmed.

17's legs gave out beneath him and fell to his knees by his sister's side. Seconds later, Krillen was by her to. 

"What the hell happened here?" 17 cried. 18 wasn't moving, he could feel a very faint pulse when he pressed his fingers to her wrist, but she wouldn't survive very long like this. She was covered in blood and dirt. Her clothing had been torn and it looked like she had also been sick. "Krillen, do something!"

"What can I do?" he asked frantically, furiously wiping tears from his eyes. He reached out and touched her, but she didn't respond.

"We need to get her to the med wing now!" 17 demanded.

"Can we move her?" asked Krillen, trying to remain level headed, even though he just wanted to scream. He couldn't remember a time in his entire life that he had ever been more scared than this.

"Well if we don't, she doesn't have a hope of surviving!"

Krillen jumped into action and scooped 18 up into his arms, he was instantly covered in blood, but that was the least of his worries right now. "You go get Bulma, I'll take her to the med wing!"

17 didn't argue, he was gone in a flash.

~

Krillen raced as fast as he could through the palace, he arrived at the med wing in record time. The nurses there took one look at them, and promptly put 18 on a stretcher and wheeled her off. He didn't have the strength or the will to follow. Instead, he leaned against the wall, sunk to the ground and burst into tears.

"Where is she?" Krillen heard Bulma call as she ran towards him. He looked up and saw not only Bulma, but 17 and Vegeta as well.

"I don't know. They took her through there about 5 minutes ago" Krillen pointed towards a big set of double doors.

Bulma nodded her head, "Alright 17, come with me" she ordered, grabbed 17's hand and pulled him through the doors. Leaving Vegeta to deal with his younger brother.

"It'll be ok," said Vegeta, who didn't even know what was wrong. He helped Krillen up off the floor, noticed he was drenched in blood but said nothing about it, and sat him down in a chair. Sitting down beside him, he decided he'd better ask, "What happened?"

Krillen was silent for a long time "I don't know," when he did speak; his voice was hardly even a whisper "17 and I, we…we just found her like that"

They sat there like that for 45 long minutes, neither of them spoke. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Bulma emerged from the doors, she was wearing a white doctors coat, much like she wore in the lab, and it was splattered with a little blood.

Krillen jumped up and ran to her. "She's going to be alright" Bulma told Krillen what she knew he wanted to hear.

"She has lost a lot of blood, she needs a transfusion, 17 is in there now donating his blood. They had to stitch up her head and there was bruising to the skull. She received a lot of blows to the midsection and one of her kidneys has inflamed, that'll need to be watched closely because if it ruptures the doctors will only have a matter of minutes to get it out of her."

"Can I see her?" was all Krillen wanted to know.

"Not yet Krillen, I'm sorry. She's not stable"

"But you said she's going to be ok!" Krillen shouted.

Bulma placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes; "She will be once she gets 17's blood into her. You saw her thought Krillen, she isn't even conscious. Her face is swollen and bruised. She has broken ribs, and she is literally as white as a piece of paper from blood loss. It's best not for you to see her right now"

"You can't keep me away from her Bulma! I need to see her!" he demanded, tears of panic streaming down his face. He tried to run through the doors, but Vegeta had a very firm grip on his shoulders preventing him from going anywhere.

"No Krillen. Just wait. Everything is going to be ok. Why don't you try and get some sleep?"

"Sleep!" Krillen spun around and exploded "My girlfriend is in there _dying_! And you expect me to sleep! What are you? Insane!"

"I know you're upset Krillen, but Vegeta is right. You can't do anything for her right now. You'll just be in the way. If you get some sleep, you'll be fully refreshed to see her in the morning"

He sunk to the ground in defeat. He wasn't going to win. Bulma walked off and arranged to have beds set up for them all to sleep in.

This was going to be a long night.

***

His sleep was plagued with bad dreams, but finally morning did roll around. Krillen awoke from his restless sleep to the sound of someone softly calling his name

"Krillen. Krillen, it's morning. I brought you some breakfast and fresh clothes" it was Bulma speaking.

Quickly, Krillen sat up and looked around, not really knowing what was going on. It all came back to him quickly though. "18! Where is she?"

Bulma sat in the end of her bed and smiled sympathetically at him "It's alright Krillen, you can see her in just a little while. Just get changed, eat something and then I'll take you through"

"Is she ok?"

"She survived the night, so she's gotten past the worst of it. She isn't conscious yet, and don't be too shocked when you see her ok. She doesn't really look like herself right now"

"I'm not hungry" said Krillen, he climbed off the uncomfortable hospital bed and got changed, "Take me to her"

"Alright then"

They walked out into the waiting room and through the daunting double doors. Inside it was a very somber atmosphere. They walked for a few more minutes, past many doors, until eventually they stopped outside on eof them, room number 30.

"17 is in there, he has had a very hard night, try not to wake him"

Krillen nodded, pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Instantly, a loud monotonous beeping noise filled his ears, but he hardly even noticed it. His attention was fixed solely on the bed, and the woman on it. As he got closer, he felt his heart sink deeper. She really did look dead.

18 had tubes coming out of her arms and an oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose, breathing for her. Her head had a big bandage on it, covering the stitched up wound. Her face was bruised and swollen just like Bulma had said, and an I.V drip was slowly letting blood run from the bag, directly into her veins. But to him, she was still beautiful.

17 sat in a chair on the far side of the bed, his head resting on the thin mattress. He looked like a truck had hit him, poor guy.

Pulling up a chair Krillen sat on the down and took hold of 18's cold hand. He was shaking like a leaf and tears slowly leaked from his eyes.

"18, please be okay," he begged her "I couldn't live without out you. I love you so much. Don't leave me"

How long he had been sitting there for, he had no idea, but sometime during the course of the day, Bulma came into the room, a team of doctors behind her. They pushed Krillen and 17 to the back of the room and crowed the bed, blocking out their view of 18. They stayed like that for almost 20 minutes, mumbling things to each other that the boys couldn't understand.

Soon Bulma came over to them. "Why don't you two go and get a coffee or something" she said, trying to give them the hint that they probably didn't want to around for some unknown reason.

Out in the hall, they spotted Vegeta. He too, looked like he had been deprived of sleep last night.

"How is she?" he asked

Krillen shrugged his shoulders, "They kicked us out the room"

20 painfully long minutes passed, and in that time, Krillen managed to down 5 cups of coffee. He would have kept on going to, if Bulma hadn't come into the waiting room.

She approached the 3 men and flashed them a ghost of a smile. "Good news," she said, "18's awake. Now, she's very drowsy because of all the pain killers, but she's asking for you, Krillen"

~

'Krillen' she moved her lips to form the word, but no sound came out. That didn't faze him though. Krillen rushed to her side and gently kissed her cheek. "I was so worried. I though I was gonna loose you"

18 didn't reply, she just gazed up at him lovingly.

Even thought she couldn't talk, her mind was racing. She was scared. But she was so glad that someone found her, she surely would have died. She wasn't going to give Chi-chi the satisfaction of winning, no, she would get better.

She fell asleep, she wasn't sure how long for, but when she awoke, she found that she could talk a little. Krillen was still by her side, and so was 17. She felt so relieved to have the people she loved around her.

"Who did this to you, sis?" 17 asked as he brushed some hair out of her eyes

"Chi-chi" she replied weakly. 17 nodded, he had guessed as much.

Beside her, 18 heard the clatter of a chair, turning around; all she saw was Krillen storming out the room.

~

He was pissed, he hadn't really doubted that it was Chi-chi who had done this, but hearing 18 confirm it, only made his rage explode.

He practically ran down the halls, quickly arriving at Chi-chi's room. He didn't knock, or even announce that he was there. Instead, he just booted the door with his foot, snapping it off its hinges, breaking it in half and scaring Chi-chi half to death.

But half wasn't good enough.

"You!" he snarled, storming across the room and shoving her hard. "You did this!"

Briefly, Chi-chi looked startled, but she quickly realized why Krillen was so enraged by. Picking herself up of the floor, she slapped Krillen hard across the cheek, he wasn't fazed though.

"My my Krillen," she toyed with him. "What's gotten you all worked up this morning?"

"You know damn well. Do you have any idea what you've done? You are a witch!" he roared

Chi-chi only laughed at him, "Krillen, you are so sad, I almost pity you, I really do. Honestly, that girl what's-her-name, I was really only doing her a favor," she briefly patted his shoulder, enjoying every second of this torture "she's better of dead anyways"

Krillen made sure to take slow steady breaths and ball his fists by his side to prevent himself from putting his sister through the wall. "Chi-chi I swear, if 18 dies, you'll be joining her next" he spat through gritted teeth.

Chi-chi blinked, she wasn't dead yet? "Oh great, I can torment her in death to" she said, then added a cute little smile to annoy him even more.

"That. Is. It" he spoke slowly, his entire being had long since been entirely consumed by anger and she was only added fuel to his fire. Without even thinking about it, he swung his fist at her face and sent her reeling across the room, where she landed on the bed, out cold, yet relatively unharmed, but shutting her up for a few minutes nonetheless.

It would have to do for now, he needed to get back to 18, needed to be by her side. On his way down the hall he ran into Kakkarot, who instantly picked up that something was wrong with his best friend and stopped to try and help

"What's wrong Krillen?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"My bloody sister is what's wrong!" he snapped back in reply and started walking again. Kakkarot felt a sense of doom wash over him. What had she done now? He followed Krillen down the hall, very very worried. He had never seen Krillen like this, and quite frankly it scared him.

"Krillen, what did she do?"

"Follow me, I'll show you."

***

A/N; Poor 18. Chi-chi is evil…but I planned it to be that way! I planned for her to take it one step to far, don't worry, it will all fall into place soon enough. So what did you think? Good bad or otherwise I'd love to hear in a review. And don't forget to check out the Campaign!

This will probably be the last update before school starts again…I might get one more, but I'm not sure

Bye bye for now!

~Deadly Beauty


	38. The End

Disclaimer; Still don't own it…dang

A/N; Well here is the next chapter of A.T.Y.K, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but school has stated again and I have been working on the Official Website for the Krillen and 18 Campaign. I'd still really love more people to join, the website is going to be really great.

This Chapter is dedicated to xXEvil OneXx for all the fantastic help you are giving me with the Campaign and the site! THANK-YOU!

~Deadly Beauty

And Then You'll Know 

Chapter 37 

It had been 5 days since Kahlia arrived on Vegeta-sei, and she had tried 5 times to get through to Chi-chi, but to no avail. It was hopeless Chi-chi was a lost cause. No one could help her when she didn't want to be helped.

Wandering around the halls of the palace, she noticed that different it was at night. She was the only one up, and while she wanted to be asleep, her stomach had other ideas. She was starving.

She knew she was close to the kitchen, after walking for almost 15 minutes, she had to be close.

As she turned a corner, something caught her eye. A soft yellow light, shining from a half open door. She could hear noises coming from inside and went to further inspect. She got in luck, it was the kitchen.

Kahlia pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen, her bare feet gently padding on the cold tiled floor. The fridge door was open, and a body sticking out from behind it. The door was quickly shut when Kahlia entered the room, to reveal none other than King Vegeta himself.

"Oh, Kahlia. Why are you up?" he asked, sitting himself down at the table. She joined him.

"I guess I just couldn't sleep" she replied, completely forgetting how hungry she had been only seconds earlier.

She looked the King up and down and smiled. He looked very cute in his pajamas and robe. "You should be sleeping" she said with a smile.

"Well, ah…yes" the King could feel himself blushing, he found Kahlia very attractive at the best of times, but here, in her pajamas, he found her almost irresistible.

Kahlia had to laugh, the Kings cheeks had gone a light shade of red, "Why King Vegeta, I believe you are blushing" she teased him.

"I…I'm sorry" he stammered as his blush deepened, "forgive me?"

Kahlia lost all looks of amusement on her face and looked seriously at the man sitting beside her. Why was he asking for her forgiveness when he had done nothing wrong "Well, of course I forgive you, I would like to know why though"

"Why what?" he asked

"What did you do that needs forgiveness?"

"I…er..." he didn't want to admit it, "I thought of you inappropriately. I'm sorry" he dropped his gaze and stared intently at the table.

Kahlia looked confused. Inappropriately? What did he mean by that? "I don't understand" she said quietly

He looked up at her like she was some kind of idiot. She felt like a dangerous bug under his gaze who needed to be squashed. "What do you mean you don't understand?" he asked, like he was taking to one of his assistants

Kahlia flinched at his tone of voice, he noticed and instantly apologized, "I'm sorry, that was very uncalled for"

"It's alright, but still, I don't understand what you meant. Tell me, please?" she asked him.

King Vegeta rubbed nervously at the back of his head, he wasn't exactly sure what to say. He hadn't been in this kind of situation for a very long time. He knew what he wanted to come out of his mouth, but was having trouble getting it past his lips

"I…I…" he trailed off.

"Hey, it's all right" she soothed him, easily picking up that he was trying to tell her something important

"I was thinking about how…how beautiful you look right now" he admitted

Kahlia blinked. That was supposed to be inappropriate thinking? She was flattered. "Vegeta…I…thank you" she said, then stopped and thought about what he had just said. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Kahlia, I think you are more than beautiful. I think you are amazing"

"Amazing?" she asked, her voice only a whisper

The King nodded, "I find myself thinking of you more and more each day, and I can't say I don't like it. I know that it shouldn't be, but I can't help the way I feel about you. I'm sorry for burdening you with this, but I couldn't keep it to myself any longer"

Kahlia sat quiet for quite some time, staring at her hands, which were folded neatly on the table. Had she just heard right, had the King just told her that he had feelings for her? Slowly, a smile wormed its way onto her face. He had told her.

"I know exactly how you feel, Vegeta. I know what's it's like to be in love, and know that it shouldn't be. Because," she stopped and took a breath, "I feel the same way to"

Upon hearing those words leave her lips, King Vegeta felt himself getting a little light headed. He contained his dizziness though, and looked at Kahlia like it was the first time she had ever spoken. "What?" he asked, though after it came out, he realized it wasn't the most appropriate thing to say.

She flashed him a brilliant smile and laughed at him, "I feel like such a teenager," she said, resting her hand on top of his, "I said I feel the same as you"

He nodded, "I heard you," he said "But I don't believe you. You're to beautiful to have feelings for someone like me"

"Don't be silly," she scolded him, "Trust me, it's very easy to fall for someone as charming as you" she said, then stood up and totally shocked the King by kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll see you in the morning ok" she said and disappeared from the kitchen. 

***

Kakkarot hadn't slept in days. He felt terrible, awful, like the whole planet was about to crush him. But it wasn't from lack of sleep or illness that he felt like he did. He was worried, nervous and scared.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin as he quickly walked down the palace halls, he had gotten lazy in the past few days and shaving had sunk lower and lower on his list of things to do.

Suddenly he stopped – to avoid walking right into a shut door. He had arrived at his destination. Pushing the door open, he quietly stepped inside.

~

18 sat up against the cushy pillows, staring blankly at the wall directly in front of her. She briefly turned to look at Kakkarot as he walked into the room, but then she redirected her eyes right back to the wall.

She wanted to get out of here, oh god how she wanted to get out of here! It had been 5 long days but to her if felt more like 5 long months. They wouldn't let her go, no one would sign her release forms and she couldn't do it herself. Though she doubted even if she could, that the nurses would let her.

Looking down at her arm, she followed the tube coming out of it up to the I.V drips, there were two hanging off a metal bar, but they ran down the one tube and straight into her veins. The doctor had told her that she was dangerously under nourished and that each of the drip bags was helping with that. One was pumping iron into her system, and the other, a mix of all the vitamins she desperately needed.

That wasn't the worst of it though; she could live with a tiny tube poking out of the underside of her forearm. What she couldn't live with though was the tube they had coming out of her nose. She had asked the doctors what that was all about, and they said it was helping her to breath.

She could breathe perfectly well on her own, thank you very much.

18 heard the chair beside her groan as Kakkarot sat down. This was the second time he had come to see her, he had come once with Krillen that first morning after she woke up.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly, meeting his dark eyes with her blue ones.

I just came to see how you are" he replied, then, produced a bunch of brightly colored flowers from behind his back, "These are for you"

18 was taken aback. No one had ever given her flowers before. Taking them from Kakkarot's outstretched hands, she smelled the bouquet; it had a very nice scent.

"Let me get a vase" Kakkarot said, and left the room, returning only seconds later with a vase full of water. He put the flowers inside and put it on the draws beside 18's bed.

"Thank you" 18 said to him, then blinked, she hadn't thought that something she would ever be saying to him.

"How are you feeling?" asked Kakkarot, he sounded like he genuinely wanted to know.

"Sore," 18 said, "but better. I don't feel like I'm going to die anymore"

Kakkarot flashed her a bright smile, "That's good to hear. I was really worried about you. Chi-chi has a lot to answer for you know. Doing something like to anyone, it's just…no one should ever have to go through what you and your friends do. You are all so so brave to do what you do day after day" he said.

18 smiled kindly at him. She could easily see why Krillen was such good friends with him. How could you not like this guy? He was everything a friend should be and more. Not at all like most of the inhabitants of this planet, who were loud, rude and cared about no one save themselves. "We don't really have a choice in what we do. But thank you, I can see why Krillen likes you so much"

"Krillen is a great guy. He loves you so much, he tells me all the time" said Kakkarot with a heavy sigh, thinking about love reminded him of what he had to do next.

"Really?" asked 18, skeptical as to whether or not Krillen really did speak about her like that.

"Really," Kakkarot answered her "he's absolutely crazy about you"

Then, as if in cue, the door was pushed open and Krillen strolled through, carrying a tray laden with all types of good-looking foods.

"Hello, what's going on in here?" he asked, raising a playful eyebrow.

"Kakkarot and I are just having a hot steamy affair behind your back, that's all" 18 joked, Kakkarot burst into a fit of laughter

"Oh, ok then" said Krillen as he jumped up onto the bed, and kissed 18's forehead, "I brought you some food"

"I can see that" she replied, knowing there was no way she was ever going to be able to get through all that.

"So, what's up Kakkarot? I haven't seen you for a few days" asked Krillen.

Kakkarot stood up and nervously played with his hands "I've just been doing a lot of thinking. I have something that I've got to do. I might be back later ok. Feel better soon 18" he said, and practically ran out the room.

***

Vegeta sat on a very uncomfortable chair, just outside the door to the boardroom. Bulma was currently in there, presenting her newest invention. The meeting was supposed to be held several days ago, but one of the men had come down with something, so it had to be postponed, until now.

Even though the door was shut, he could hear Bulma speaking to the men in the room. He had seen those men go in there, they were all somewhere in their forties at least. He had also seen his woman go in there, dressed in a business suit, which consisted of a black jacket, a _very_ short skirt and a pair of black shoes with heels. As if those men would be paying any attention to the Regen Tank as Bulma called it, when she was revealing as much cleavage as she was. He wouldn't be surprised if they all had puddles of drool underneath them.

He suddenly heard clapping coming from inside the room, and minutes later, men started filing out. After a little while, it became apparent no one else was going to be coming out, so Vegeta stood up and walked right in.

It was dark inside the room, all the curtains had been pulled shut, and a projector screen had been pulled down. Besides himself, there were three more people in the room. Bulma, her father and the King. He approach the trio quietly, it was Bulma who noticed him first, even though she was had her back to him

"How did you know I was there?" he asked, being sure not to add the word woman in front of both of their fathers

"I can smell your cologne a mile off" she replied, turning around to face him.

He looked surprised "you kidding right?"

"No I am not kidding. You're the only one in this whole palace who smells like that" she stated.

He didn't reply, he was busy moving his eyes up her body; down her body and back up again, resting his gaze where he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it.

"Excuse me," said Bulma placing a finger underneath Vegeta's chin and tilting his head up, "my head is up here, and my father is in the room"

Vegeta felt a little warm in the cheeks. He was thankful that the dark room would hide the fact that he was blushing slightly. "Did you meeting go well?" he asked

Bulma opened her mouth to say something, but the King began to talk before she began, and she wouldn't dare interrupt the King. "What Miss Briefs has created is absolutely outstanding. Everyone is so very impressed with what she has managed to achieve, this will revolutionize Sayian life forever! You should be mighty proud of her, son"

"I am proud," he said, half because it was true, and half so his father would stop taking, "can we leave now?" he asked

"Yes yes take her, I have things to discuss with Dr. Briefs anyway"

"Great" said Vegeta, then he grabbed Bulma's hand and practically yanked her out the room.

"Ow Vegeta, that hurt" Bulma rubbed her hand as they walked down the halls and headed outside into the warm sunshine.

"You'll get over it, woman"

Bulma balled her fist and thumped Vegeta's upper arm, he hardly even felt it though.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to hurt me"

Bulma took that as a challenge and pounced on him, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the ground.

***

Kakkarot wiped his sweaty palms against his pants and knocked on the door with his shaking hand. He wasn't just nervous, he was downright scared.

It seemed like hours had passed when in fact it was only seconds. Chi-chi swung open the door, and instantly her face lit up and she smiled brightly at him.

"Hi!" she greeted him and ushered him into the room, "What are you doing here?"

"I…er" he didn't get to finish because Chi-chi just kept right on talking

"I'm glad you're here actually. It's my birthday in 3 weeks; I'll be of age. Daddy will probably want to do something boring, but I was thinking, afterwards we could go away or something. You know, just you and me. I'm sure we can find a nice holidaying planet somewhere" she rambled on and on to Kakkarot, who really wasn't even listening.

"Chi-chi," he took hold of her shoulders and guided her to the bed, where he sat down next to her, "we need to talk"

That should have been her first indication that something was up, but being the naive girl she was, she didn't realize that the words 'we need to talk' almost always meant talk about something bad "Ok shoot, let's talk"

"Chi-chi I…I don't really know how to tell you this," he began "I haven't exactly been happy with this relationship for quite some time now. Ever since I got back from Namek, things just haven't been the same between us. I tried to give you space and that didn't work, I tried talking to you, and that didn't work. I really hoped that we would be able to work it out. You're not the same woman I fell in love with anymore, and the way your treat 18, like she's worse than dirt. Honestly, it makes me feel sick"

Chi-chi's mouth hung open like a fish out of water "W-w-what are you trying to say?" she asked.

"What I'm saying is. I can't see you anymore Chi-chi. We've become two different people, and it's just not working. I'm sorry"

Chi-chi blinked, looked at Kakkarot, looked away again and stood up. Kakkarot held his breath, knowing Chi-chi she was more than likely going to try and kill him.

He was right.

Without warning, Chi-chi spun around and threw a blue ball of lighting hot energy at him. Kakkarot just managed to get his head out of the way of the blast, it collided with the wall, cracking the plaster and leaving a big burnt smudge.

"How dare your break up with me! I am the Princess; you can't just break up with a Princess!" she finished her sentence with another Ki ball, and then an attempt to kick Kakkarot's head off his shoulders.

He merely caught her foot and stood up. "Chi-chi, I've made up my mind. All the yelling in the world wont change it"

Yanking her foot free from his grip, Chi-chi spun on her heel and began walking away from him, then changed her mind and stormed right back again. She was standing so close that their bodies were almost touching, only inches remained between them. "You," she snarled at him, "Are going to pay for this." Even Kakkarot couldn't avoid it when Chi-chi's hand came in contact with his cheek, in a very powerful and quite painful slap.

She continued right on yelling at him though. "And I bet my brothers and that stupid hoe 18 had something to do with this didn't they," she turned away from him "oh just wait till I get my hands on her, she's going to wish that she did die that day"

Kakkarot's nostrils flared, Krillen and 18 were his friends, and he was not going to stand around while she threatened to kill one of them. "Chi-chi, if you so much as lay a finger on her, you'll have to answer to me"

"Ooooh, I'm so scared." She joked, "If you even touch me, my father will be onto you so fast you won't even know what hit you!"

"I don't care, Chi-chi. You've gone to far, and you've got no one to blame for all of this but yourself. I tried to give you a chance to work it out, but you didn't. So now we're through. Goodbye" said Kakkarot, and before Chi-chi had the chance to have another psycho attack at him, he left the room.

Chi-chi stood by the bed for a long time; just staring at the door Kakkarot had just walked out of. He walked right out of her life. For good this time. Slowly, it sunk in. Kakkarot had just broken up with her. She felt humiliated. Then a new feeling washed over her. Rage, white-hot rage.

This was not her fault; it was nothing that she had done to make Kakkarot hate her. It must have been the water up on Namek, because ever since all the boys had come back, they had been acting weird. No it wasn't her, it couldn't be her. She was Chi-chi, Princess of all the Sayians and one day she would be Queen. It was the boys who had all gone insane, not her.

Slowly, she sunk to the ground. Tears welling up in her eyes. In her anger, she reached up and grabbed the first thing she felt off the bedside table. A silver photo frame, containing a picture of Chi-chi and her mother and threw it as hard as she could. It flew across the room and smashed into the cupboard shattering the glass, scratching the silver and denting the cupboard.

Where was it along the way that everyone had gone so crazy? That the whole planet had turned against her? And what had she done to deserve it? Chi-chi couldn't think of a single thing she had done to cause everyone to hate her so much. Well sure, she abused 18 a lot, but really, who cared about her?

Kakkarot did.

Then it dawned on her. That was why Kakkarot had broken up with her. He loved 18! Well, she had something to say about that! There was no way that witch was going to steal her man and get away with it. No way. She would not stand for it.

Grinding her teeth together, Chi-chi decided then and there that 18 would pay. This was war!

***

Kahlia sat out on one of the big decks of the palace, looking down on the gardens down below. Her careful gaze was intently fixed on a young man, pacing back and fourth under a big tree; he had been doing so for almost 15 minutes now. His wild hair caught her attention, and her keen eyes picked up that he seemed to be distressed.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she spun around, and saw the youngest of the Kings 3 children approaching her. "Krillen," she said with a smile, "hello"

Krillen nodded and smiled at her, "You're Highness"

"Krillen, no need to be so formal, please just call me Kahlia" she urged him. They were quite for a few minutes. Then Kahlia spoke again, "Krillen dear, perhaps you can tell me who that young man down there is, he seems to be troubled"

Krillen took once glace downward and knew he it was. "That's Kakkarot" he said

"Kakkarot?" Kahlia knew that name, he was Chi-chi's male friend

"Yeah. I'm gonna go see what's wrong" said Krillen, and he jumped off the balcony and flew down to the ground. As he got closer, he could see that Kakkarot was indeed troubled about something.

"Kakkarot, what's wrong?" he asked. Kakkarot jumped and spun around, he didn't think anyone was behind him.

Krillen," he quickly wiped the moisture off his face, Uh, nothings wrong"

Krillen arched an eyebrow "I'm not stupid you know"

"I know"

They sat down on a bench under a big shady tree, the warm breeze felt good on their skin "So, what's up? Why are you upset?" Krillen asked again.

"I…I just broke up with Chi-chi. I'm just a bit shocked that it's over I guess"

Krillens eyes widened in shock, he broke up with Chi-chi! Well that would certainly explain the dark red mark on his cheek, she must have been pissed. She probably still was. Well at least she couldn't get to 18. Looking up at Kakkarot, he couldn't help but smile, even though he could plainly see that Kakkarot was hurting. Finally, someone had done something that would hurt his sister. He would of liked to say that no one deserves to be hurt like that, but the plain and simple truth was – she did deserve to be hurt like that.

"Hey," Krillen flashed him a sympathetic smile, "you did that right thing"

Kakkarot nodded, "I know I did. I know there is no way I can be with her anymore; she's become so strange. But I really did love her Krillen, I thought she could have been the one, and now it's all over. It feels like I've just woken up from some kind of fabulous dream turned nightmare. And it hurts, it hurts real bad"

Krillen had no idea what he was going through, or no way to relate. He must have been feeling pretty lousy though. "You hungry?" he asked, knowing full well that Kakkarot was _always_ hungry.

As expected, Kakkarot nodded, "yeah" he replied.

"Ok then," said Krillen standing up, "Lets go get something to eat"

***

Slowly, Bulma opened one eye, then the other. Was it morning already? No it couldn't possibly be. Tilting her head to the side, she glanced at the clock. It was almost 7.30 am. "Damn" she muttered to herself as she attempted to sit up. But it was useless, Vegeta's arm resting across her midsection was pinning her down.

"Move Veg" she said, knowing he was awake, if he was sleeping, she would have been able to push his arm of her with great ease, he didn't reply though.

"Vegeta" she said, trying to sound like she was mad, but due to the fact she was still very tired, she failed miserably. Reaching over, she tried pushing Vegeta across the bed, she couldn't move him though, it was like trying to push a house. She scowled at him, but it quickly faded.

Vegeta looked cute when he was sleeping, or at least pretending to be sleeping. She spent most nights with him now. Today was special though; today she had been with Vegeta for 5 whole months. It didn't seem like that long, she could hardly believe it. She looked at Vegeta and wondered if he remembered why today was special, or even that it was special. Probably not

Only a few minutes later, Vegeta opened his eyes, he'd had enough of tricking the woman, it wasn't fun any more.

"Good morning" she said once she noticed his eyes were open.

"Morning" he replied and sat up, finally moving his arm and letting Bulma move around freely.

"So," Bulma began, "got anything special planned for today?" she asked, trying to hint to him that he should

He smirked at her before replying "Wouldn't you like to know"

"Duh!" Bulma rolled her eyes "do you think I would of asked otherwise?"

"Are you mocking me, woman?"

"What if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

"Cancel our dinner reservations at Sherri"

"What?!" Bulma sounded shocked beyond all belief. Sherri was the most exclusive restaurant on all of Vegeta-sei, you literally had to book months in advance to get a table there. "How did you get a table there, did someone die or something?"  
"No, I made the reservation months ago"

"How did you know we would still be together then?"

"It's just common sense. Why would I want to give something this wonderful up?"

Bulma felt her heart melt. That was probably the single most romantic thing she had ever head leave Vegeta's lips. She couldn't resist the overwhelming urge she felt to kiss him, he didn't mind at all though.

"So, what are you doing today?" Vegeta asked, imitating Bulma's question from earlier.

Bulma sighed before replying. Vegeta noticed and put an arm around her shoulders pulling her close, her warm skin felt good against his. "I was thinking of talking to Chi-chi. I mean, after what happened to her yesterday, she probably needs a friend to talk to" she said, everyone knew about what happened they day before, it was big news inside the palace walls.

"She deserves everything she gets" said Vegeta

"Perhaps. But that still doesn't change the fact that we used to be best friends. I can't help feeling bad for her"

"Well you shouldn't"

"But I do. And she probably doesn't want to talk to me, but I'm going to try anyway."

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders "just don't get killed before dinner"

***

Almost half the day had passed before Bulma worked up both the courage and the will to confront Chi-chi. She couldn't put it off any longer though, Vegeta had told her to be ready by 5 and it was already 1.

Knocking on Chi-chi's bedroom door, she took a step back and waited. At first, there was no answer. Bulma was just about to give up and search somewhere else, when the Chi-chi pulled the door open.

The first thing Bulma noticed was how Chi-chi looked. Her hair looked almost like one big knot, she was in pajamas, her makeup had been smudged and destroyed, in one word, she looked bad. Bulma stepped into the room, and again, was shocked at what she saw. There were cut up photos strewn all across the floor, bit of glass and smashed porcelain were scattered everywhere and there were empty alcohol bottles everywhere. It was a disgrace

"What do you want?" Chi-chi asked, slamming the door shut again, then winced at the pain shooting through her head.

Bulma walked around the room, standing up bottles and kicking trash out of her path. She went to pull open the curtains, but Chi-chi told her not to.

"I heard about what happened yesterday," she began

"So what, you've come her to rub it in my face?" Chi-chi snapped

"What?" Bulma look shocked, "No. I came to see if you wanted to talk about it. You know, with a friend"

"Friend?" Chi-chi asked, "The way you've been treating me lately, you hardly deserve to be called my friend"

Bulma's eyes widened. She had done nothing that could have upset Chi-chi in the past few months. It was Chi-chi who had been running her own life into the ground and then blaming everyone else for it. Vegeta, Krillen, Kakkarot apparently it was all their faults – when Bulma knew better, they had done nothing. It made her wonder if Chi-chi was just trying to make herself look good, for if she honestly believed it was everyone's fault but hers.

"Chi-chi, I don't think it's me who has been trying to destroy this friendship" she said

"Well who else could it have been, not me that's for sure. You're the one who's been acting crazy lately"

Bulma blinked, now she knew that wasn't true. "Listen, I came here to see if you needed someone to talk to, not to be abused. I don't know what's happened to you Chi-chi, but what ever it is, it's not very attractive on you"

"Me?!" Chi-chi placed her hand on her chest, "It's you lot that have gone funny. I'm the only sane one left around here. Kakkarot – well, I don't know what the hell is up with him, but he's not himself. Vegeta, don't even get me started on how messed up his head is. You, you've become nothing more than snobbish nerd who is obsessed with my brother. You're all crazy! I don't know what I was thinking associating with the likes of you for as long as I did"

Bulma felt tears welling up in her eyes, coupled with a very strong urge to slap her ex-friend. It was at that minute that something dawned on her, something that no one else had picked up on yet.

Chi-chi had gone completely and utterly insane.

"Listen Chi-chi, you do need to talk to someone, your brain isn't quite right. Take my advice, get some help before it's to late and you end up in some mental institution"

Chi-chi began to laugh, quietly at first, but it grew louder and louder until Bulma was actually scared of what was going to happen next. Then all of a sudden she stopped, and narrowed her dark eyes on Bulma. There was a glimmer that hadn't existed there before, and Bulma didn't like it one little bit.

Her instinct were telling her to leave, run away before Chi-chi had the chance to hit her and give her a black eye or bruise before her date tonight, but her legs had other idea. Her feet felt cemented to the ground as Chi-chi slowly stalked towards her. "I suggest you leave Bulma" she said through gritted teeth, "Before I get really mad and do something you'll regret"

Bulma nodded shakily as Chi-chi walked close circles around her, now she knew how 18 felt day after day. She knew she needed to leave, but still her legs wouldn't move. Several long seconds passed, and nothing happened Bulma could hear her heart racing in her ears and she slowly moved one leg forward, taking a step towards the door.

"That's right, leave run away like the coward you are!" Chi-chi taunted.

Bulma didn't care, she had no problem with being told she was scared when it was true, she was petrified, without saying another word she rushed to the door, pulled it open and almost fell over her feet in her rush to get away from Chi-chi.

She had no intentions of speaking to her for a very long time.

***

A/N; Poor Bulma. Well what did you all think of this chapter? Did anyone actually think it was the end of the story because of the chapter title? Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it, hopefully schoolwork will allow me to get another chapter out soon

Please join the K/18 Campaign…I will not rest until every last one of you is a member

Please review and tell me what you thought

~Deadly Beauty


	39. Happy Birthday

Disclaimer; Don't own the characters, I do own the plot though! Please don't take it

A/N; I am so so so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but I have working really hard on me website and stuff. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it! I'll try and get the next chapter up really soon ok! ~Deadly Beauty

And Then You'll Know 

Chapter 38 

Bulma carefully pulled the lipstick across her lips, then took a step away from the mirror. She was finally ready. Hopefully Vegeta would like what she was wearing, a black boob tube dress that fell all the way to the ground and had silver glitter on it. She was also wearing dressy black heels and had her hair done up in a very elegant French twist.

Gazing at herself in the mirror, she had to admit – she looked fabulous.

She was torn away from her gloating by the sound of her door creaking open. It was her mother. "Oh my, don't you look so grown up" she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Bulma was shocked, why was her mother crying, she was only going out for dinner; it wasn't a very big deal. Moving across the small room, she embraced her mother in a tight hug, who in turn threw her arms around her daughter.

"You've gotten so big, I remember when you were a baby like it was only yesterday, and now look at you. All grown up"

"Mum, it's ok. Vegeta and I are only going out for dinner. It's not a big deal"

Bunny blinked repeatedly to clear her eyes of the tears then smiled at her only child. "I know, I'm sorry. By the way, do you know where you father is? I made him dinner, and that was almost half an hour ago, honestly that man can get so caught up in his work. He should of married science instead of me" Bulma rolled her eyes and smiled, her mother was back to her old self again. Bulma followed Bunny out into the living room of the apartment and notice that someone was knocking on the front door

Vegeta! How long had he been knocking for. Bulma walked across the room, quickly felt her hair to make sure it was still good, then pulled open the door.

Vegeta took one look at Bulma, and felt his mouth go dry. He wanted to say something, but his mind was blank.

Bulma however, didn't seem to have that problem. "You look so handsome" she said, commenting on his black suit and the bark blue shirt he was wearing underneath.

"And you…you look…" he trailed off trying to find a suitable word.

"Breathtaking? Amazing? Magnificent? Drop dead gorgeous?" Bulma supplied him with a list of appropriate comments.

"All of the above" he said with a smile

Bulma walked out into the hall and gently shut the door to the apartment.

"The limo is waiting at the front of the palace" said Vegeta.

"Wait, I promised 18 I would give her a quick check up before we left" said Bulma, knowing it was a bad time, but she had promised.

Vegeta did not look impressed, but he did not protest and followed Bulma to the med wing.

The first thing they noticed when they got there was that Chi-chi was standing at the reception desk. Bulma shot her an icy cold glare then threaded her fingers through Vegeta's and they continued on towards 18's room.

~

Krillen was sitting on the bed beside 18, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, they were watching the small T.V, but there wasn't very much good on. Bulma and Vegeta walking into the room was a welcome distraction.

"Wow Bulma, you look really nice" 18 said, smiling at the pair.

"Where are you off too?" asked Krillen

"Sherri" replied Vegeta, removing his hand from Bulma's so she could do what she needed to and they could be on their way.

Bulma looked at 18 with a bright smile and quickly scanned over her patient sheet at the end of the bed. "Can I get out of here yet?"

"Not yet" replied Bulma as she filled the I.V drips with more things that were good for 18's frail body, "How do you feel?" she asked. "And I want an honest answer"

"Well, my abdomen is still sore, it's kinda like a throbbing kind of pain, it's not constant though"

"Anything else?"

"My head hurts where the stitches were and sometimes I feel a little dizzy. But that's about it"

"Well, it's natural for the wound area to be tender, so I wouldn't worry about that to much. And the dizziness is probably due to all the new vitamins and mineral being pumped into you, that will subside once the I.V comes out. As for the throbbing, I'll get someone to come in and have a look at that"

"So when can I get out of here?"

"Well, tomorrow I suppose, but I'm reluctant to sign the release papers"

"Whys that?"

"Well, your much better off in here than anywhere else"

"Yes, but I _hate_ it in here"

"Alright, I'll sign the papers first thing in the morning" Bulma said in defeat.

"Ok, but now you just worry about going out and having a good time"

Bulma smiled at 18, "I will. All right Vegeta let…" she was cut off by someone pushing open the door. It was a nurse. She walked around the bed, all four pairs of eyes on her, and began to unhook 18 from all the monitors and machines.

"Um, what are you doing?" asked Bulma, she didn't sound impressed.

"Miss 18 is to be released immediately under order of Princess Chi-chi" the nurse informed the group

"What?!" Krillen and Bulma asked at the same time. Bulma rushed out into the hall, Krillen close behind. As they expected, Chi-chi was standing there waiting for them, her arms triumphantly across her chest.

"What do you want?" snapped Krillen, "Can't you just leave her alone"

"Chi-chi, this is going way to far. Just go away"

Chi-chi flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked at them, "Sorry, not gonna happen. 18 is mine, she has had 5 days to herself. Now her time is up, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Bulma was about to open her mouth to say something when Vegeta came storming out the room and he looked mad. Even Chi-chi saw the look in his eyes and her face paled a shade or two.

"All right Chi-chi, I have had enough. I refuse to listen to you anymore" he said and grabbed hold of her wrist and began to drag her away. He only took a few steps before he turned back to Bulma and said "wait right here" then he walked out the med wing, taking a screaming Chi-chi with him.

Bulma looked at Krillen and shrugged her shoulders, then they both walked back into 18's room

18 was trying to force herself out the bed, as far as she knew, she had to get out of here right now. Standing up on shaky legs she tried to take a step forward, but her legs couldn't support her and she fell, Krillen leapt forward and caught her before she hit the ground though.

"Thanks" she said as he put her back on the bed and covered her with the thin blanket.

"Vegeta is dealing with Chi-chi, she won't bother you again tonight" Bulma said while looking in the mirror to check that her make up was still perfect.

18 sighed deeply, "I'm sorry Bulma, I ruined your special night. I'm so sorry"

"Vegeta and I are still going to dinner. You haven't ruined anything trust me, and even if you had of, that wouldn't of mattered. As long as you safe and getting better, that's all that matters" she said as she re-attached 18 to everything the nurse had tampered with.

15 minutes passed before Vegeta came back to the room, "What took you so long?" asked Bulma, "What did you do to your sister?"

"I just took her to her room," said Vegeta "then knocked her unconscious" he added. Bulma had to laugh.

"You hit her?" asked Krillen

"No, I just knocked the back of her neck. She'll be out for a few hours at least"

"Thank-you Vegeta" said 18 quietly. Krillen was holding her hand tightly and could feel her shaking, she was still very scared.

"That's ok," he said with a nod "Woman, we have to leave"

"Ok," said Bulma "See you two tomorrow" she said then followed Vegeta out the room.

Straight away, Krillen climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around 18. "It's ok" he soother her, "I'm not going to let her hurt you. I swear it. As long as I'm alive you'll be safe"

18 pulled away from him and wiped the tears off her cheeks, "You'll stay here with me tonight, right?" she asked.

"You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried"

***

Two days passed. Kahlia was walking back from the G.R's, she had just had a training session and was looking forward to a nice hot shower. She soon arrived at her room and unlocked the door. She found a surprise waiting for her inside. Someone had slipped an envelope under the door. It simply had her name written on the front. Picking it up she sat down on the couch, opened it and began to read.

_Kahlia,_

_I know I should be telling you this to your face, but the truth is I am scared. Scared of being hurt._

_For as long as I can remember, you have always caught my eye, but the more time I spend with you, the more and more I come to see that it is not just your amazing looks that attract me to you. But your beautiful personality, witty sense of humor and calm attitude._

_What I am trying to say is that, Kahlia; I am in love with you. I have been for many many years now, it just never seemed like the right time to say it. But now, now something is different and it just feels right to let you know._

_If you share any of these feeling with me, please let me know. Meet me tonight at midnight by the swimming pool and I will know you feel the same as I. If not, then I swear I will not bother you any more._

_Yours sincerely,_

King Vegeta 

Kahlia blinked and looked down at the paper, carefully reading over it again. A smile spread over her face and she felt like getting up and dancing, though she managed to contain herself.

This was amazing to say the very least. After what had happed at the table last week, nothing had really come of it, so she had though that that was it. But now, in her hands was a letter from the King declaring his love for her.

Folding the letter, she placed it down on the coffee table and walked into her room. Picking her suitcase up she unzipped it and began to rummage through what she had. What could she possibly wear tonight? It had to be something nice. After all tonight had just become a very special night.

***

The King paced back and fourth by the pool, it was a beautiful night, the air was warm and the millions of stars lit up the beautiful clear sky. He highly doubted she would come. After all, what would someone like her want with someone like him? She was perfect in every way, he had only ever known one woman who was as amazing as her, his dear Lumie, but he knew, that if Kahlia did show up tonight, Lumie would give them both her best wishes. He reached the end of the pool and turned to walk its length in the other direction. But he only managed to take a few steps before he stopped.

Walking up the last few stairs that led to the pool was Kahlia, dressed in an amazing sleeveless white dress that went all the way to the ground and appeared to be made out of some kind of silk material. He literally lost his breath just looking at her.

She walked right up to him and smiled a beautiful smile. He had to reach out and touch her just to check that he wasn't dreaming.

"Hi" she finally said.

"I didn't think you would come" admitted Vegeta.

"Well I did. Does that tell you something?" she asked, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. She had wanted this to happen for such a long time, and here in the beautiful moonlight, nothing had ever felt more right.

The King didn't know what to say, he just stood there, gazing lovingly into her eyes. It was she who spoke up first.

"You know Vegeta, you didn't need to write me a letter to let me know you felt like this. Even if I didn't feel the same, you didn't need to be scared"

"You…you feel the same?" he asked, still not believing it.

She nodded her head "Vegeta, I too, have loved you for a long, long time"

The next thing they knew, they were lost in a long kiss. A kiss filled with year's worth of hidden passion and emotion. When they pulled away, they were both flushed and out off breath.

"So, what happens now?" the King asked, having absolutely no idea himself.

She kissed him again before she replied, "that's what happens now"

Smiling, the King took his Queen in his arms and held her tightly "I meant, what happens tomorrow, and they day after that. You can't stay here, your planet need you, and mine needs me. Can this work?"

"We will make this work. Absence only makes the heart grow fonder"

"And what about the children?"

"Vegeta, your children are all grown up, they have their own lives, their own romances. They know how to look after themselves" she reasoned with him.

"But do we have to tell them straight away. I don't know how they would take it especially Chi-chi, she hasn't been herself for quite some time"

Kahlia rested her head against Vegeta's chest, since he was considerably taller than her it was possible to do so, "You're probably right, but we can't hide it forever"

"Can't we?" he asked

"No, we can't"

They stood out in the moonlight for a long time, both enjoying the old sensation of having someone to hold close and love, but experiencing it on a level they had never felt before. Eventually, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.

"Perhaps we should head inside. It's late and you need to sleep" said Kahlia, pulling herself out of Vegeta's warm embrace

"Perhaps we should" he agreed with a sigh

***

17 was exhausted, he walked in the door of the apartment after a hard days work and flopped down on the couch.

"17, you know better than that, get your feet off the couch" Tarie scolded him.

"Sorry" he mumbled and forced himself into a sitting position.

Tarie sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, "I missed you today" she said and nuzzled closer to him. 17 opened his arms and wrapped her in a hug. "Me too" he said through a yawn.

He slid his hands down to her stomach and felt around, after a few minutes he could feel his daughter kicking or punching or whatever she was doing.

"Does it hurt when she does that?" he asked

"Not at all" replied Tarie, "It feels funny, but it doesn't hurt"

"How long now?" he asked, clearly meaning, how long until the baby was due.

"Four weeks. Can you believe it, only one more month and we'll be parents"

"It amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it' said 17, standing up. It was his sister "18, what are you doing here?" he asked, "You should be resting"

He was very concerned for 18; she had only been let out of the med wing 2 days ago. She was an unhealthy shade of white and shaking. "What's wrong?" he asked, the concern in his voice was thick. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he lead he to the couch and sat her down.

"18?" asked Tarie, "you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just sore"

"Did Chi-chi hurt you"

18 shook her head, "no more than usual"

17 handed her a warm mug of tea, which she graciously accepted, "Have you finished for today?" he asked

18 nodded while sipping the tea.

"Do you feel sick?" he asked

"No" replied 18, "why? Do I look sick?"

"Yes" 17 and Tarie replied in unison.

"Why don't you find Bulma, 17? I think we would both feel better if we knew she was alright"

"Good idea, I'll be back soon ok" he said, and hurried out the room.

"All right 18, he's gone. What's wrong?" Tarie asked seriously.

"Nothing. Well, I think nothing" she replied "I'm just exhausted"

"Well then," Tarie stood up, "lie down there and sleep. I'll make you something to eat for when you wake up"

18 opened her mouth to protest, but Tarie firmly shook her head, indicating that her mind was made up and 18 was going to do as she say. So she lie down and shut her eyes.

Several minutes passed and 18 was just on the brink of sleep when someone knocked on the door. She waited for Tarie to open the door so she could hear whose voice it was.

It was Krillen.

He spoke to Tarie for a few seconds before making his way over to 18. Kneeling down in front of the couch, he gently brushed her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Hey," he said, "You ok? I saw 17 and he said you were here and didn't look to good"

"17 over dramatized. I'm ok, I swear it"

"Still, let Bulma look at you, just to be sure, ok"

18 rolled her eyes, then smiled sleepily at Krillen, "Fine"

He smiled back and kissed her forehead, "That's my girl"

***

Before anyone really noticed it, 3 whole weeks had gone past. It was the middle of spring, and everywhere you turned your head, flowers were in bloom, birds were chirping and people were smiling. It was a great time to be alive.

Krillen sat in his room; a warm breeze blowing in thought the open balcony doors. He quietly hummed to himself as he busied himself in his task.

Soon, someone started knocking on the door. Looking up, he ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and smiled, "it's open," he called.

A second later, he was greeted by the site of his brother walking through the door. "Hey Vegeta, what can I do for you?"

Vegeta came and sat down on the bed beside his little brother, "What are you doing?" he asked.

Krillen looked down at the bed, then back up at Vegeta, it seemed pretty obvious to him what he was doing, "I'm wrapping Chi-chi's birthday gift"

"You actually went to the trouble to go out and get her something?"

"Yes, and you should to. It's her coming of age birthday, that's a big deal" explain Krillen.

"I suppose so," said Vegeta as he picked up a long red box and opened it. Inside was a rather exquisite necklace, made of diamonds and silver, "You got her jewelry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Krillen snatched the box off Vegeta and shut it. "No," he replied curtly, "This is for 18. I got Chi-chi a bunch of clothes and makeup, y'know – girly junk." Krillen ran his finger up and down the soft velvet that was on the outside of the jewelry box "do you think she'll like it?" he asked. Obviously referring to 18 and the necklace.

"Well for the amount it looks like that thing cost you. She damn well better"

Krillen was quite for a moment as he finished wrapping his sister's gift, but soon he pushed it aside, so he could devote his full attention to his brother. "Now, what can I do for you?" he asked again.

Vegeta blew out his breath, and looked Krillen directly in the eyes. He had no intention of beating around the bush.

"It's about the woman" he stated.

"Bulma?" asked Krillen, "Well what about her?"

"I'm sure you know that things between the two of us right now are well, pretty great"

Krillen smiled, he was glad to see Vegeta happy. Bulma had really done a lot for him. She had helped him open up his emotions, he had become a lot more open, friendly and all around nice. It was plain for anyone to see how much he really did love her.

"Yeah, I know they're going good" said Krillen

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately - and I mean a lot. And basically, I have come to one conclusion"

"And what would that be?" asked Krillen

"That would be, that the woman means a lot to me, and I don't want to give her up"

"So don't" said Krillen, making it sound as simple as it was.

"That's just it," said Vegeta "I don't plan on it. In fact I plan on quite the opposite"

"What do you mean?" asked Krillen

"I mean, I want to ask her to marry me"

Krillen almost fell off the bed, and a smile very quickly spread across his face. "Are you serious?" he asked, "That's great! Congratulation!"

Even Vegeta couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face. "I just wanted to come to you first" he said

Krillen stopped then, "Why?" he asked in all seriousness 

"I know you'll always give me an honest, no-shit answer, and that you'll actually listen to what I have to say. Unlike father who'll just brush us off like we are only his offspring and not his children"

Krillen nodded in agreement, the King had been acting odd lately, maybe he was joining Chi-chi in the club for people who had jumped into the deep end without knowing how to swim – though he doubted his father would be that stupid.

"Well, I'm glad you came to me" Krillen said with a smile.

"There's only one other thing. Bulma is not to know. Understand. I want it to be a total shock"

Krillen nodded knowingly and pretended to pull a zipper across his lips. "My lips are sealed, she shall no nothing of this conversation"

"Thank-you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go shopping"

Krillen laughed, "and why is that?" he asked

"Well, I have to upstage your crappy gift don't I?" he said, and with that, got up off the bed, and walked out the room. Leaving Krillen smiling from ear to ear.

***

"Vegeta, what are we doing here?" asked Bulma as she walked beside him down the shopping strip, "every reporter in town is following us"

"Tell me about it" he muttered rolling his eyes

"Well?" asked Bulma

"Well what?"

"Well, why the hell did you drag me away from my work and all the way down here? Do you enjoy being hounded by reporters?"

"We are here to buy my sister a birthday gift"

"Chi-chi, why?" asked Bulma as she pulled her sunglasses out of her handbag and put them on

"Because Krillen already got her something, and I told him I would upstage him. So here were are, looking for something better than what Krillen got her"

Bulma rolled her eyes and laughed, "That's just like you Vegeta. Always have to do one better than everyone else don't you?"

"Of course I do"

The pair walked into a fancy boutique that sold all sorts of expensive things, and began to browse. The other shoppers stopped what they were doing and began to stare at the newest arrival to the store. A sales girl approached them, knowing full well who she was dealing with. Bulma removed her sunglasses and smiled at the pretty young girl.

"Can I help you?" she asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Uh, Vegeta, can she help us?" asked Bulma, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"What?" Vegeta asked, turning around

"Can I help you?" the girl repeated her question

"Oh, uh…no thanks. We're just looking"

"Of course" said the girl, and she turned and walked away

"So, exactly what to we plan on buying Princess pain-in-the-butt?" asked Bulma

Vegeta pondered the question for a moment, before he seemed to come up with the perfect idea. "Let's go"

Bulma followed Vegeta out of the store, and onto the busy shopping strip outside. People wandered around looking in shop windows, eating ice cream, listening to the various musicians and smelling all the different yet tantalizing smells. It was a great atmosphere.

Although, there was one aspect of this trip that she was not enjoying. The photographers. She knew they plagued this particular strip, because celebrities and the likes so often came here to shop, and Vegeta may have been used to the limelight having grown up under the public's watchful eye, but Bulma was not, and she wasn't enjoying it. She felt afraid to do anything, for fear it would be on the papers the next morning.

"Vegeta, these photographers are really staring to get to me"

"You're not the only one"

"They'll probably leave us alone if we give them what they want" stated Bulma

"What are you talking about, woman?"

Bulma smacked his arm, and heard a flash go off from somewhere in front of her. "I mean, I bet you that they only want one decent shot, then they'll go annoy someone else"

"Oh" Vegeta said, when it clicked what she meant. Then he grabbed Bulma, dipped her low to the ground and kissed her – shocking everyone around, Bulma included. He could hear countless photos being taken, and he could only hope Bulma was right, and he wasn't making un utter fool out of himself for no reason what so ever, well, regardless – it would be all over the papers tomorrow.

"Vegeta!" said Bulma, once he stood her back up again; he noticed that she was blushing profusely – something he had never seen her do before.

"Woman, I believe you are blushing" he said, as they approached the limousine they had traveled here in. The doorman climbed out and opened the door for them.

"Shut up, Vegeta" she warned as she climbed into the limo

"Is that a threat?" he asked

"You'd better believe it baby"

***

"Look at him" said Krillen, shaking his head sadly.

"Look at who?" asked 18, "Kakkarot?"

"Me, why, what did I do?" Kakkarot looked very confused.

"No no, not you Kakkarot. My father. Over there. Look" 18 and Kakkarot turned their heads in the direction Krillen was looking, and they indeed saw the King, and he didn't look to happy.

"I wonder what's wrong?" Kakkarot mused aloud.

Krillen shrugged his shoulders, "it's probably nothing" he said. Then his usual happy smile returned to his face.

How could anyone not be smiling on a day like today? It was perfect. He was out in the garden, under a big shady tree with his two best friends in the entire universe, relaxing, laughing and having fun. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky shimmer and glow in uncountable shades of oranges pinks and yellows. Everything was right.

"How've you been Kakkarot?" he asked

"Me? Oh I've been fine" he said with a smile

"That's good"

"And what about you 18? How have you been?" asked Kakkarot

18 blinked, she had been day dreaming and Kakkarot's voice speaking her name had shocked her, "I'm ok I guess"

"Feeling better?"

She nodded, "much. Thank you"

She was about to say something else, when she noticed Krillen, he was still staring intently at his father, who was standing by the pond, about 100 meters away. She rolled her eyes and placed her hand on his shoulder "Just go and talk to him, if it's bothering you that much. It might be just what he needs"

"No, no it's fine"

"Krillen, you are without a doubt the worst liar I have ever known. Go and talk to him"

Krillen smiled, he knew when he was beat. Leaning over, he kissed 18's cheek before he stood up. "You're the best babe, I'll be right back"

Once Krillen was out of earshot, Kakkarot turned his gaze back to 18. She felt a little uncomfortable, but it didn't show on her face.

"18 tell me, really how are you?"

She felt a feeling of relief wash over her before she replied, Kakkarot seemed to have a sixth sense for knowing when someone needed to talk. "I suppose I'm ok. I mean, after what happen back a few weeks ago, I know they could be worse" she said

"But" Kakkarot urged her on

"But, well, I'm scared. Chi-chi has gone completely insane and every second I'm in that room, I'm afraid for my life. She keeps saying that it's all my fault, thought I have no idea what 'it' is"

"Has she been beating you?"

18 nodded her head, and blinked back tears that were threatening to spill down her face, "yeah. Don't tell Krillen though, I don't want to worry him, and Nison can usually fix me right up before anyone else sees"

"18, you shouldn't have to stand for this. You are a great person, and you deserve better"

"You think you're the first person to tell me that? I hear it from 17 and Krillen and Tarie and Bulma every single day. But that fact of the matter is that nothing can be done about it. The only way I'm going to escape is if someone abolishes the laws – which the King wont, Krillen has tried time and time again, or if Chi-chi dies, and I'm sorry, but I can't see that happening"

"But still…"

"But nothing. Don't even try Kakkarot. Yeah, I know that I shouldn't have to be beaten, bruised and made to bleed every single day. But there is nothing anyone can do about it, so just drop it. And don't tell Krillen ok, please, don't tell Krillen"

"You have my word. If you really don't want him to know, then he won't"

***

Chi-chi sat at her desk, pen firmly pressed to paper, she furiously scribbled down task after task. She was already well into her fifth page. After all, today was a big day. Today she became of age. Today she was 21 years old. Today she was celebrating 21 years of life.

But why did it feel more like the hands of fate where strangling her?

It was only 9am, and already this day felt like it had dragged on for hours and hours, when was it going to end?

The door creaked open, and Chi-chi's head snapped around to see who dared enter her sanctuary. It was only 18 – the one she despised more than anyone else. She loathed that woman, hated her with a passion more intense than she had ever felt

"Here," she threw the list at 18, she didn't catch it though, and all the papers floated to the ground. Then she stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

18 picked up the papers and looked through them with dismay. This was too much, normally it took her a whole day to get through two pages…but here she was, holding five. Well, there was no point putting it off, she couldn't put it off if she wanted any hope of getting it done.

Sometime in the next hour, Chi-chi emerged from the bathroom. Walking across the room, she stopped in front of the closet and pulled it open.

"Hmmm, what should I wear today?" she asked herself as she rummaged through all her outfits. After almost 15 minutes she decided on a pair of light blue jeans with a few white flowers printed up the sides and a short white dress to wear over the top. She went back into the bathroom to change re-appearing only minutes later, fully dressed and brushing her hair.

She shot 18 an icy glare as she pulled on her sock and shoes, but 18 didn't flinch under her gaze. She was better than that. She wasn't going to let Chi-chi win.

"Get all that finished and I might let you live another day" snarled Chi-chi, the she left the room.

As she walked down the halls, many people greeted her and wished her all the best for her special day; she didn't stop for them though. She didn't even slow down to say thank you.

Soon she arrived at her destination, the throne room. Pushing open the door, she had to smile when she saw a table staked full with brightly wrapped gifts – she could only assume that they were all for her. She approached her father, who was sitting on his throne flipping through the morning newspaper, and off to the side of the room were Krillen and Vegeta - who she was not to thrilled to see.

She cleared her throat, causing everyone in the room to look up.

"Ah Chi-chi dear, how wonderful to see you. Many happy returns darling, I can only hope that your coming of age is everything you imagined it to be" spoke the King as he wrapped his daughter in a brief yet tight embrace.

"Thanks papa" she replied quietly, her eyes wandering back over to the table.

The King noticed this and had to stifle a laugh "yes dear, those are for you, but before you go ahead and open them, you're brothers would like to see you"

Turning her back and rolling her eyes, Chi-chi walked over to her brothers, "Yeah?" she asked, "What is it?"

Krillen and Vegeta both blinked, but neither spoke. Vegeta had his gaze intently fixed on the door, leaving Krillen to speak first.

He presented his sister with a box he had been holding behind his back. It was rather large and brightly wrapped in shiny paper, "Happy birthday," he mumbled to her, only to make his father happy "hope you have a great day"

Chi-chi snatched the gift of Krillen and without so much as a thank you, moved to Vegeta

"And?" she asked

"And what?" he replied curtly

"Where's my gift?"

"God Chi-chi, get over yourself, Bulma is bringing it"

As if on cue, the door was pushed open and Bulma came running through. She kissed Vegeta, before she even said one word to Chi-chi. Placing a small box in Vegeta's hand, she turned to her ex-best friend "hi" she said, clearly not meaning it "happy birthday"

"Yeah, happy birthday" said Vegeta, he held out the small box and Chi-chi took it off him.

She pulled the lid of the box, and threw it on the ground. She was not impressed at what she saw inside. Looking up at the couple, she raised an eyebrow. "A key?" she asked, "You got me a key? Well that's just fantastic"

Vegeta rolled his eyes "Could you be any stupider?" he asked, and then held out a birthday card, "read the bloody card. Come on Bulma, Krillen, let's get out of here," he said, and the trio walked away.

Chi-chi ripped open the envelope and quietly read over the card, then promptly followed Vegeta's cue, and left the room.

Several minutes later, she was outside the palace. Vegeta and Bulma were also. They were quite proud of themselves – well, they had definitely outdone Krillen that was for sure.

Chi-chi walked a circle around the low to the ground, convertible, sports car, it had cost Vegeta a truck load of money, and she damn well better appreciate what he had done for her – when he really would have been more than happy to buy her nothing at all. It was what she deserved after all.

What the hell were they thinking – buying her a car. Chi-chi angrily flipped her hair over her shoulder and kicked one of the tires. Looking up at them, a deep scowl settled on her face and she stomped up the steps to where they were standing.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she exploded, making Bulma flinch.

"What?" asked Vegeta, his tone just as deadly as his sisters

"A car! What are you, insane? Hey losers, did you forget I can fly?!"

"Chi-chi," Bulma began, but she was cut off by the dark haired lunatic.

"I sincerely hope this is only a joke, because I find it absolutely hilarious. I can't believe you would do something so utterly stupid, you must both be as dumb as each other if you thought this was a good idea"

"Chi-chi!" Bulma shouted. "How dare you. We went out on our own free will and brought you a car! And normal Sayian would love a car, especially this car! You know what you are? You are nothing more than a spoilt little brat who deserves everything you have coming for you."

_'That's it'_ Chi-chi thought to herself, she raised her and to slap Bulma, but before she could even think about, Vegeta's hand was clamped firmly around her wrist.

"If you so much as even think about hurting my woman. I won't hesitate to snap you in half" he threatened, and meant every word of it. Then taking Bulma by the hand, he lead her away from his insane sister – to leave her to what ever it was she wanted to do.

~

For Chi-chi, as the day progressed, time seemed to go more and more slowly. She opened all her gifts – that was fun for about 10 seconds. Forced herself to eat a slice of cake – eating hadn't exactly been on her list of things-to-do lately. Beat 18 around for a few minutes – but even that wasn't as fun as it used to be. So she had finally resorted to training. On her coming of age, this was supposed to be the most important day of her life, and here she was pounding training dorids into the ground.

Her life sucked, everyone had gone crazy around her and they didn't even realize.

So much for a happy birthday…

***

A/N; Poor Chi-chi…not. Well, what did you all think? Did this suck? I sure hope you didn't all think it sucked! Well even if you did, I'd still like a review! Please tell me what you thought and I'll try and update A.S.A.P ok!

~Deadly Beauty


	40. Big News

Disclaimer; Yeah, I own DBZ ok….hahahaha…yeah right

A/N; Here you go people…the long awaited next installment of And Then You'll Know. I really do have to apologize in the lack of updates, but my life has been out of control lately…I hope you all enjoy this, and I'm sorry it took such a long time.

~D.B

And Then You'll Know Chapter 39 

The day of Chi-chi's birthday came and went without much fuss. There was no grand party like she had had the previous year. No line of well-wishers cueing out the door as there had been when Vegeta had celebrated his coming of age, and as far as Bulma had been aware, there hadn't even been a cake.

The day had merely passed by quietly, the King presented his daughter with her certificate of age – usually they were sent out through the post, but the King personally presented them to his children.

Bulma was still puzzled by Chi-chi's reaction to the car. She had been sure she would love it, and that it may have even been just the thing that was needed to re-ignite the flames of friendship and to help Chi-chi begin her trip down the long road that would eventually lead her back to sanity.

She was sure – so very sure, that Chi-chi was utterly crazy now, she had been pouring through psychology books and websites for weeks now, neglecting all of her other duties and she had learnt a great deal. It was really quite fascinating and she wondered to herself why she hadn't taken an interest in this particular area of science much sooner.

But unfortunately, one of the discoveries she had made was that she, along with everyone else was almost powerless to help Chi-chi. No one had the special training and skills that were needed, and the palace didn't employ a psychiatrist. Going outside the palace was almost out of the question, the media would have a field trip if the discovered what was wrong with Chi-chi, and to top it off, Bulma was quite sure she was the only one who had really clued on to exactly what was wrong. Well except for 18 maybe.

That poor girl. Bulma felt pity consume her entire being when she thought of 18, she was a great person, and Bulma considered her one of her dearest, if not her best friend. It pained her so much to she what she went through in her daily struggle just to stay alive. She bent over backwards for Chi-chi, and never said a word against her – well, not to her face – and yet every single day, Chi-chi would beat her senseless, it had gone far past the point of being a punishment, it had more become something Chi-chi did because she enjoyed it. She enjoyed seeing 18 bleed, cry and scream out in pain. She enjoyed knowing that it was her who put her in so much pain. It was sick and twisted, but their was little Bulma could do, for if she spoke up, the King probably wouldn't believe her anyway, then he could very well fire her for speaking out against his only daughter.

Bulma clenched her fists to restrain herself from destroying her keyboard. It just made her so mad to see Chi-chi like this. They had been best friends for almost their entire life, and now, in the space of 6 months. This happened. So much had changed in her life, in all of their lives, and sometimes Bulma felt like it was spinning out of control, like she was growing up much to fast, but she always managed to get her grip and see that everything that was happening, was happening for a reason.

Obviously, Chi-chi hadn't been able to get the same grip Bulma had, and now she had crash-landed. Hit rock bottom. What was the next step after this? Suicide?  Bulma hoped and prayed that it would not come to that. Even though right now, she was less than impressed with Chi-chi, she would still be devastated if she took her own life.

Blinking, Bulma realized someone was knocking on the door to her lab. Shaking herself out of her trance like state, she closed the web page she had open and called, "it's open, come on in"

The door was pushed open, and the receptionist for the science and technologies wing walked in. "Ms. Briefs, are you alright?" she asked, sounding very concerned.

"Yes, of course I am, why would I not be?" she asked in reply.

"Well, it's just that we have been calling you over the intercom for 15 minutes now, we thought you may be in trouble or something"

"Oh, no no. I'm fine, thank-you" she said, smiling brightly at the young girl in front of her.

"Great. Well, there is a package for you at reception, you need to sign for it"

"Ok then, I'll be down in a minute" said Bulma, already being able to guess what her package was.

She shut down her computer and headed down the hall. She quickly arrived in reception and was greeted by a man in a delivery suit, standing by a very large pile of boxes, and sitting on the couch on the opposite side of the small room, was Krillen.

"Hi Krillen, thanks for doing this for me" she greeted him happily as she took the clipboard off the young man and signed the piece of paper. "Sorry to keep you waiting like that" she apologized.

"That's quite ok Ms. Briefs" he said, then with a smile, turned and left the building.

"Alright" said Bulma as she patted the boxes, "let's deliver this stuff"

***

17 lay sleeping on the couch, snoring loudly. In the bedroom, Tarie was also asleep. 17 had been working all night in an attempt to get all of his and Tarie's work for today done. So he could spend some time with her. Since he was gone all day, and sleeping at night he had decided he needed some quality time with her, but their quality time, had turned into nap time.

A knocking at the door roused 17, and he sleepily stumbled over to the door. "Shhh" he said as soon as he opened the door, not even greeting whoever was on the other side, "Tar is sleeping"

Bulma and Krillen nodded and took a few steps into the room, each placing a number of boxes down, then walking out into the hall and bringing in more.

"What the hell is all this?" 17 asked, his voice a whisper. He walked over to the bedroom door and pulled it shut, so everyone could speak in a normal voice.

"This is a present" announced Bulma.

17 raised an eyebrow, "a present?" he asked, "for who?"

"Take a look at the boxes, that should tell you"

17 walked over to the rather large pile of cardboard boxes and looked at the pictures on the side. A wide smile formed on his face as he realized what Krillen and Bulma had just done for them. A crib, a change table, a stroller – not that they would really need that. Bundles and bundles of nappies, bottles, baby food and about 4 boxes of brand new tiny little baby clothing, it was all here.

"You guys…I…I don't know what to say," 17 was truly taken aback

"What's going on out here?" Tarie asked through a yawn as she walked out the bedroom.

"Tar, come over here and have a look at this"

Krillen and Bulma stood back and watched as Tarie and 17 went through everything. The smiles on their faces well worth the money that had been spent. After a few minutes, Tarie approached the pair, tears of happiness trickling down her cheeks.

"I…I honestly don't know how to thank you for this. If there is anyway we can replay you, any way at all, please just tell us now"

Both Krillen and Bulma shook their heads. "Don't be silly," said Krillen "We wanted to do this. We'll be happy just knowing that you like it all". Bulma nodded in agreement.

"Krillen, Bulma. Thank-you" said 17 as he walked up to the group "We hadn't even thought of any of this. We'll pay you back for this some how"

"No you won't. We won't allow it. Now Krillen, why don't you help 17 assemble the crib and what not, and Tarie, how about I give you your final check up in the bedroom"

Once Bulma and Tarie had disappeared into the bedroom, Krillen looked up, "Final checkup?" he asked 17

"Yeah," he replied, "Tar is due any day now. We're all on edge waiting for it"

"It must be amazing huh? Knowing that any day now you're going to be able to hold the life you created in your own hands," mused Krillen as he screwed one side of the crib into the other.

"Yeah," 17 replied whimsically "it's an amazing feeling. It's really hard to explain, the feelings that I have inside of me right now"

***

He was the only one in the entire store. As soon as he had walked through the door, everyone else had been kicked out. Now he was being guided through the shop, getting informed on everything they had to offer.

"Now, this one, as you can plainly see, is absolutely stunning"

"Yes yes, I see" replied Vegeta, his eyes roaming else where.

"Oh I'm sorry Prince Vegeta, is there another you are interested in?"

"Well no, I'm, just not interested in the cuts and sets."

"Ok then, well please by all means please feel free to browse"

Walking away from the annoying middle-aged sales woman, Vegeta roamed the store, stopping to look in every single counter he walked past. He really was quite nervous – he had never done this kind of shopping before, and he sincerely hoped he would never have to do it again.

Then, all of a sudden – he laid his eyes on the one. He had just found the ring he was going to propose to Bulma with. The diamond on it was a quite large and perfectly round and it sparkled a million different colours in the light. On each side of it sat a smaller, yet not less perfect diamond. And they were all sitting on a beautiful gold band.

"I want that one" he said, pointing at it.

"Ah, but of course sir, and may I say, what a fine choice you have made" said the male shop assistant as he took the ring Vegeta wanted out from under the case and handed it to him for closer inspection.

After some minutes, the shop assistant spoke up again. "Is that your final decision?" he asked

"Yes, this is the one"

"Alright then. Now, we do have a 14-day return period – hopefully you wont be needing it though – in which you can obtain a full refund or exchange. After the 2 weeks though, we are only able to offer a 70 percent refund or an exchange." He rambled on as he carefully placed the ring in a white velvet box and then placed the box in a small bag.

As Vegeta signed the check for the amount of the ring, he could feel his heart rate increase. Here he was, signing for his engagement ring. He was going to propose to Bulma, he had never felt more nervous about anything in his entire life – nothing had ever meant as much to him as this.

God he hoped he wouldn't be needing to take advantage of that return period.

*** 

18's eyes bulged as she watched the sight before her in absolute shock. She could feel her body temperature rise and her pulse quicken. Her brow furrowed in an unhappy scowl and she balled her hands into fist to stop from herself from swinging them into something.

In front of her stood Chi-chi, that wasn't what was making her so irate though, it was what Chi-chi was doing. From somewhere, she had obtained a large bottle of oil – disgusting black oil, and she was tipping it all over the floor. Staining it forever.

The was a strange glimmer in her eyes, and along with the evil smirk on her lips she was giving off the appearance of one very disturbed woman – which 18 knew perfectly well, she was.

Once she had emptied the entire contents of the bottle onto the once clean carpet, her eyes snapped up from the floor and she hurled the bottle at 18, but at the last second she moved, the bottle only just missing her head.

"Now," Chi-chi snarled. "Clean it" she rubbed her foot in the mess, smudging it deeper into the carpet.

Trying to be inconspicuous 18 took a rather large step towards the door. With what she was about to do, she was going to need to be as close to it as possible.

"No" she said, her voice sounding much more confidant than she actually was.

"What?!" Chi-chi demanded to know, sounding irate.

Taking a deep breath, 18 stood her ground; she was absolutely fed up with Chi-chi and everything that she put her through. "I said no"

"I heard you. But I don't understand" Chi-chi spat at her.

"That was totally unfair. I'm not going to clean up after you, when you are only doing things like that to spite me"

"You'll do whatever I tell you to!"

"No! I don't care how much you beat me. I'm not cleaning that. I'm sick of the way to treat me!" 18 raised her own voice to reach the same level as Chi-chi.

"I'll kill you!" threatened Chi-chi

18 narrowed her eyes at the impossible Princess and muttered a very few obscene words to her under her breath. She was way past mad now, all she could think of was how badly she wanted to kick Chi-chi's head off. But she knew that wasn't possible. "You won't do it" she replied, her voice surprisingly calm for the current situation.

The look on Chi-chi's face said it all, she was shocked at the scene folding out in front of her. "Give me one good reason why not?"

18 response was simple "You'd miss me too much." the theory had dawned on her while she has been lying in her bed the night before, as bad as Chi-chi beat her, she would never kill her.

Chi-chi erupted into a fit of hysteric laughter. 18 raised an eyebrow, this was just stupid.

"18," she said, wiping tears of laugher from her face. Then her voice took on a very deadly tone that sent shivers down 18's spine "I detest you. Despise every part of your miserable being," she approached 18 and walked a close circle around her, "there would be nothing I would enjoy more than finishing you off this very second"

18 swallowed audibly, Chi-chi's face was now mere inches away from hers. Staring intently into her dark eyes she replied. "Go on then. Do it. Kill me, right now."

She waited, but nothing happened, there was no blast, no blinding pain, no retreat from her living hell. "Well?" she asked.

There was no reply, Chi-chi merely reached up and slapped 18, her heart wasn't in it though, as 18 was able to remain in her position, she wasn't sent rocketing across the room, as 18 was well aware she could have been.

"See, I told you I was right _ma'am_" she spoke the last word knowing she had claimed at least some small kind of a victory of the villainess that dictated her life. "You won't kill me. You've gotten used to me. You like me." She was aware that her last statement was going way to far, and that Chi-chi would most likely explode and put her through the window, but she had said it now, there was no taking it back.

The next thing 18 knew, a blinding pain was tearing through her midsection. She bit down on her tongue to stop herself from screaming out in pain – a trick she had learnt a while back. She wasn't going to give Chi-chi the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

It was a stupid thing to do, but in her pained state, she didn't even realize. Chi-chi wasn't going to stop until she was satisfied. 

Ramming her leg up again, she felt 18's ribs against her knee. How dare 18 speak that way to her? Who did she think she was? What kind of rights did she think she had? Because she had none, the slaves were regarded as the lowest form of life on the planet, even criminals had more respect and dignity than the slaves did. Yet here 18 was, thinking she actually possessed the right to speak back to Chi-chi and to expect to get away with it.

Feeling her legs give out on her, 18 fell to her knees, blood tricking from the corner of her mouth. Had she deserved that? Had speaking back to Chi-chi been the wrong thing to do? After all, Chi-chi was her mistress wasn't it 18's job to make sure she was always happy?

No, it was not. 18 had done nothing wrong, but now if she wanted to live, she had to options. Grovel for forgiveness, or the more daring option that could very well get her killed.

She wasn't sure what it was, perhaps the adrenalin rushing through her body; perhaps a few brain cells had been knocked loose – but something inside her was compelling her to take option two.

Hauling herself to her feet, she took a few slow steps towards Chi-chi, looking her directly in the eyes she opened her mouth. Chi-chi must have been expecting an apology, but that was not what she got.

Reaching up, totally without warning 18 wiped her hand across Chi-chi's cheek in a very hard slap. The impact and shock of what had just happened sent Chi-chi stumbling backwards, where she lost her balance and fell flat on then floor. Not wasting any time, 18 ran.

She ran as fast as her thin legs would carry her, she knew where she was going, and had the great advantage of Chi-chi not being able to sense her. She totally ignored the many looks she received as she ran the only thought on her mind was getting to the safety of her brothers apartment, Chi-chi would never ever in a million years look for her there.

Panting from lack of breath, she pounded furiously at the door, praying that someone would open it soon. "17 let me in god dammit" she muttered to herself.

Seconds later the door swung open, and 18 practically fell into her brother's arms. "18!" his voice filled with panic "18 are you ok?!"

Upon hearing her name, Krillen rushed across the room to the twins. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm alright. Your sister just wants to kill me" replied 18, pushing herself off her brother and walking across to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. Swishing it around in her mouth to get rid of the blood, she eyed the big pile of boxes and half assembled things in the middle of the room.

Spitting the water down the sink she asked; "what's all this?" for an second an intense feeling of dizziness washed over her, but she shook it off and tried to concentrate on the reply to her question rather than the burning pain in her midsection.

"Krillen and Bulma brought it for us. It's everything we are ever going to need for the baby" 17 said joyously 

18 smiled and turned her gaze to her lover, "you did this?" she asked

"Well, it was Bulma's idea, I only paid for it," he said, "are you sure you're ok? You really don't look so good babe"

Sitting herself down on the couch she sighed, "Will you two please stop worrying about me?" she asked 17 and Krillen.

"No we won't" replied Krillen as he sat beside her. "What did you do to make my sister want to kill you?"

"It's a long story"

***

_Vegeta,_

_I must say, things are very dull without you. Confessing your love then rushing back home to tend to a national crisis isn't something I strongly recommend._

_I have been extremely busy as of late, in fact I am writing to you from right here in my very own bed. I am missing you greatly and am eternally sorry that I had to leave Vegeta-sei in such a rush. I hope you don't think that my lack of correspondence has anything to do with my feelings for you; I have merely been distracted by regal duties._

_Perhaps you would like to make the trip to Bindoon, I don't believe you have ever paid my humble little planet a visit before. My people would be honored to meet a man of such great power and stature as you, but none would be as glad as I._

_Eagerly waiting a reply from you either by mail or phone,_

_Your love,_

Kahlia 

Scanning his eyes over the letter a smile spread across the Kings lips. Only 3 days after they had confess their love, Kahlia had had to rush back home, as her planet had been struck by natural disaster – an earthquake, which had then trigged off mudslides. It had occurred in a highly populated village; one of the planets biggest cities and the death toll was in the hundreds, possibly even thousands.

But they had had those days, those 3 beautiful in which everything had been perfect. He had woken up with her in his arms, and nothing he had experienced in a very long time had ever felt more right. The love they shared was something that distance couldn't break.

But still, his dear Kahlia was quite right, he had never paid a visit to her home planet, and she had come to them at least a dozen times since she had joined the Sayian Allegiance almost 5 years ago. Perhaps a visit to the home of his dear one was in order – yes he decided, it was something he wanted to do. Something else he wanted to do was call her.

But he would have to wait; there was a time difference between Bindoon and Vegeta-sei, looking at his watch, he came to the conclusion that it be close to 3am where she was. He would wait until it a respectable hour to call her. Besides, he would have to wait until he was alone to make the call no one in the palace knew about them – and he meant no one. Not his personal assistant, not Nappa not even his own children knew that he was in a relationship, and for the time being he would like to keep it that way.

He could only imagine the chaos that would break out if he were to let it slip. The last thing he wanted was another media crisis – after the fiasco concerning his son and Bulma a few weeks back they had all learnt their lesson and we're being much more careful with interviews and the media.

Then there were his children. Vegeta, Chi-chi and Krillen – the three most important people in his life. How would they take the news that their father had moved on, had found another love besides their mother? There would no doubt be resentment and anger, but hopefully they would come around. After all, they were all grown up, they should be able to understand that he couldn't mourn forever – he was allowed to move on without feeling guilty.

***

"What is happening to me?" Vegeta muttered to himself. Holding out his hand in front of him, he watched it shake. Was he really that nervous? It didn't take him long to answer that question. Yes he was. He was about to take the biggest step of his young life, and as un-romantic as he often was, he wanted this night to be absolutely perfect. Tonight was a night he was willing to break his own rules and let down his emotional barricades, tonight he was prepared to be the romantic mushy Prince he always feared becoming.

It took him 20 minutes to decide on an outfit – Bulma must have been rubbing off on him, usually he would just throw on the first thing he picked up, but lately he had become much more fashion conscious.

_'Stupid woman'_ he thought to himself as he slipped into a casual black pair of pants, and a white shirt. It was a casual look, but not to casual.

Soon there was a knock on the door, pulling it open, a trolley greeted him, and on it a picnic basket full of everything he had requested. Food, a rug, candles everything one needed for the perfect night. Pulling open the draw on his bedside table, he lifted out the small white velvet box and popped it open. The ring was still tucked snuggly away inside – safe and sound. Hopefully though, it would soon have a new home. On display on Bulma's finger.

"Vegeta?" came a voice from the other side of the door, "you in there?"

Hastily shoving the box into his pocket, Vegeta rushed over to the door and yanked it open.

"Hi" Bulma greeted him as she walked into the room.

Vegeta didn't reply, he was to taken away, she was only dressed casually in a silky red singlet top that had an intricate pattern of black flowers on it and black leather pants, but it took his breath away.

"Something smells really good Veg. Have you been cooking?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him

Vegeta almost snorted. "Me, cook? Woman, you've got to be kidding"

"Hmm, yeah you're right. You cook, what was I thinking?"

"I could cook if I wanted" Vegeta retorted, now insulted that Bulma thought he couldn't cook

"No you couldn't"

Vegeta decided to drop it before he ruined the occasion by getting into an argument. "Shall we leave?" he asked, picking up the picnic basket Bulma had failed to notice before.

"Where are we going?"

"On a picnic"

Bulma smacked him, but let him put his arm around her and lead her away. After almost 15 minutes of walking, they arrived at their final destination. The lake that was situated just past the flower gardens of the palace ground. The sun was almost completely set and the sky was a very beautiful shade of orange, which reflected off the water in a very pretty display of light.

"Vegeta, this is beautiful" she said as he spread out the picnic rug and sat on it, she sat beside him and watched as he busied himself for a few minutes lighting candles and spreading out an array of beautiful looking foods.

"Eat" he commanded her, then flashed her a smile that he saved for her and her alone.

"But I'm not really hungry" she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't care, woman. I said eat. Look at all this food. You have to eat" he said as he laden his own plate with a helping of just about everything on offer.

"Fine" she replied. Once she started eating though, she realized she was hungrier than she thought she was and she ate a considerable amount.

Once he had finished eating, Vegeta wrapped his arms around Bulma and pulled her close, no one could see them here, it was just them and as he said, tonight he was willing to be romantic. All he could hear was his hear thudding in his ears and feel it pounding in his chest. What if Bulma rejected him, made a complete fool out of him? What if he laid his heart on the line and she just stomped it to the ground, squashing it to a million pieces? He didn't think he would be able to survive.

Well there was only one way to find out.

"Vegeta" he jumped when he heard Bulma call his name.

"Yeah?"

"I've really enjoyed tonight. Thank-you for everything. I'm very lucky to have you"

That made up Vegeta's mind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the box. As soon as Bulma spotted it, she sat up straight as gasped quietly. Vegeta heard her though, and a victorious smirk appeared on his face.

"Woman, I mean Bulma," he stopped to watch the procession of emotions that danced across her face as he flipped open the lid of the box. "I think you know what I want to ask you. These last few moths have been the happiest of my life, and I want to make them last forever. So will you?" he asked

"Will I what?" Bulma asked, already knowing, but wanting to hear him say it.

"Will you marry me?"

Bulma felt her heart skip about 6 beats. Was this really happening? Could this really be happening? Had the man of her dreams, the man she had loved since she was 12, just proposed to her? This was the happiest moment of her life. And that ring! Look at it, it was stunning! She realized that Vegeta was probably about to die with from nerves, she looked up into his dark eyes and realized she was right.

"Of course I'll marry you, Vegeta!" she said, trying very hard not to squeal with excitement like a childish schoolgirl. She watched as he slid the ring onto her finger, it was a perfect fit and looked like it was made just for her.

"Do you like it?" he asked as the fact sunk in that he was engaged. He was going to be married.

"Do I like it?" she repeated as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, "I love it. It's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." She kissed him again then; "Oh my god!"

"What?" asked Vegeta.

"I can't believe I just got engaged!"

"Well you'd better believe it, because there's no going back. You're stuck with me for good now"

"Well that's just to bad, isn't it?" she said as she kissed him again "Who'd wanna marry you?" she asked him as she rested her head on his shoulder

"You?" he asked in return.

"Damn, you're right"

"I'm always right"

***

A/N; Well, what did you think? Good, bad? I'd like to know. Also, I have a website now, xXEvil OneXx and I have spent countless hours getting it up and running…hope you want to take a look, the URL is see you all in the next chapter and don't forget to leave me a review

~D.B


	41. A New Arrival

Disclaimer; I do not own DBZ...Okay!  
  
A/N; Once again, I am sooo sorry for the long gap in my updating people! I hope you can forgive me, because I've been working really hard on this one! I hope you'll all enjoy it.  
  
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to dingrick for being such a cool friend and for having such great fics!  
  
~D.B  
  
And Then You'll Know  
  
Chapter 40  
  
18 couldn't sleep. She lay in her bed, wide-awake, just staring at the bed beside her. That had been 17's bed, right next to her so he could keep her safe.  
  
There were supposed to be 100 slaves, to work through out the palace, over time though, it had dropped to about 40. Now today a shipment had arrived and the slave quarters were bustling again. 18 felt almost compelled to cry at the things she had seen today. So many children had come through, maybe only 12 years old. They were so scared, wanting their parents, brothers and sisters. 18 knew the grim reality of it though - they would most likely never see their families again.  
  
She felt sick, just thinking of it – but there had been one child, one little girl that reminded her so much of herself it was almost scary. She had long black hair and the fieriest personality 18 had ever encountered. Had she been like that once? Instantly, 18 felt it her duty to watch over this girl and make sure nothing to terrible would happen to her.  
  
But still, that wasn't what was keeping her from sleep. Pushing herself up form under the thin covers she pulled on a jumper she had obtained from Krillens closet and left the slave quarters.  
  
Outside the night air was warm, and the soft grass felt good underneath her bare feet. Looking around her she sighed deeply, everything was so different at night; it was like a magical fantasyland and she was the only one who existed in it.  
  
Sitting herself down on a bench, she tipped her head back and looked up at the stars. So many millions of stars, the galaxy was such a big wondrous place, she wondered if there was anything more out there for her, or if this was it. Was this how she would spend the rest of her life? Cheating death every day?  
  
18 sat outside for hours, just thinking. Before she even realized it, the sun was beginning to rise. She knew she shouldn't have stayed out all night, now she would be exhausted all day. But she had so much on her mind right now and nowhere to turn. She didn't want to burden Krillen with her troubles; he worried about her enough already. And 17 and Tarie really didn't need to be bothered now; they were all ready anxious enough waiting for their baby, without having 18's problems dumped on them as well. There was Bulma, but she still didn't feel totally comfortable sharing her deepest inner thoughts with her, even if they were very good friends.  
  
Standing up, she slowly headed back towards the palace, she was in no rush, Chi-chi never expected her until at least nine, and the sun hadn't even fully risen yet. Wandering down the halls, she arrived at Krillens bedroom, she tried to open the door, but it was locked. She knocked a few times and the door was opened.  
  
She had clearly woken him from sleep, but he looked happy to see her nonetheless. "Can I come in?" she asked Smiling sleepily at her, he replied, "of course you can"  
  
The two climbed back into bed and lay there for quite some time, Krillen dosed off for a little while and 18 was content to lie there in his arms. But still, sleep just wouldn't come. She had a kind of jumpy feeling in her stomach, was she sick? No, she didn't feel sick. She kind of felt nervous about something.  
  
"Babe?" Krillen murmured, still half asleep "Yeah?" she asked in reply "Go to sleep. You're moving around to much" "Sorry Krillen. I can't sleep"  
  
Sitting up, he looked at 18, his eyes full of concern, "why not?" he asked. She replied with a long sigh, "I don't know. I just have this funny feeling in my stomach" "Are you alright?" he asked "It's not that kind of feeling, I mean I don't feel sick. I don't really know how to explain it" "You're sure you feel ok though?" "Yes Krillen, I swear, I feel fine"  
  
He lay back against the pillow, wrapped one arm around 18, got himself into a comfortable position and closed his eyes. "Now," he said, "go to sleep" Closing her eyes, she tried to sleep, and it appeared to be working. She was thinking less and less and felt her eyelids getting heavier. Soon she would be sleeping; hopefully Krillen would wake her when it was time for her to go to work.  
  
Then, all of a sudden and seemingly out of no-where someone began to pound of the door. Krillen and 18 instantly jumped up, both had been startled by the sudden interruption to their rest. 18 watched as Krillen climbed out of the bed and jogged to the door, quickly unlocking it and pulling it open.  
  
It was Bulma who burst into the room. 18 raised an eyebrow and looked at her oddly. "Krillen, do you know where 18 is?" she asked. "Uh," Krillen pointed towards the bed.  
  
A look of relief washed over Bulma's face and she calmed down considerably. "What is it Bulma?" 18 asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing, nothing at all" "Then why the big fuss?" asked Krillen, walking over to the bed, where the two girls were.  
  
Bulma smiled knowingly, "17 would like to see you" 18 rolled her eyes, "now?" she asked, "can't he wait until tonight?" "No, he really wants to see you now, you to Krillen" "Really?" asked Krillen "Yes really. So get dressed and get your butts down there now" she told them, a rather large smile on her face.  
  
Rolling her eyes again, 18 threw the covers off herself, "fine" she said, "We'll be there soon" "Great"  
  
~  
  
"I swear," 18 muttered as she and Krillen walked the still empty halls, "making us walk all this way. He better have a damn good reason for making me get out of bed" Krillen had to laugh, he took 18's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, "calm down babe. I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason"  
  
They arrived at the room, 18 didn't even knock, she just walked right in. 17 was sitting in the couch, but he got up when he saw his sister and wrapped her in a big hug. "What?" 18 asked, wondering just what in the hell was going on.  
  
"Smile why don't you?" 17 said, letting 18 go and looking at her oddly "Why? You got me out of bed at 7am!" "You can't guess why?" he asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "No!" 18 retorted "Ok fine, sit on the couch and wait there"  
  
18 did as she was told and watched as 17 disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door. Krillen sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. A few minutes later, the door was opened and 17 walked out, holding a tiny little bundle in a blanket in his arms. 18 sucked in her breath fast, "Oh my god" she whispered, smiling brightly.  
  
Sitting himself down on the coffee table, he placed the bundle in 18's arms. Looking down at the tiny sleeping infant, she felt tears well up in her eyes. "17, congratulations" she muttered as her eyes scanned over the tiny miracle in her arms.  
  
She had a small tuft of black hair on her head, her eyes were shut, so she couldn't see what color they were. But what amazed 18 the most was how tiny she was, she could hold the baby in the crook of one arm. "When was she born?" "About half an hour ago" "And how's Tarie?" asked Krillen as he gazed down at the baby. "Sleeping. She had a hard night" "I can imagine" "You must be so proud 17. She is so beautiful" "You have no idea"  
  
18 could hardly tear her eyes away from the baby, she was captivating. She found it quite hard to believe that this was her niece in her arms, her beautiful little niece that was perfect in every way. 18 looked up at her brother, and noticed for the first time, that he looked exhausted. "Does she have a name yet?" she asked. 17 nodded, "we decided on a name the same day we found out she was a girl" "Well?" asked 18 "Bianca Astrid"  
  
18 blinked. That was without a doubt the most perfect name she had ever heard. "17, that is so beautiful. They would love it" "It was Tarie's idea"  
  
The baby started to wriggle and move in 18's arms, then she began to whimper. Not knowing what to do, 18 handed her over to her father. 17 rocked the girl in his arms and she settled down. "Would you like to hold her?" he asked Krillen. Krillen shook his head, "I'd probably drop her".  
  
The next thing he knew, Bianca was in his arms. "So," 18 began "how does it feel to be a daddy?" "I couldn't even begin to describe it to you 18. It's just something you'll have to experience for yourself one day" "What?" 18 raised an eyebrow "fatherhood?" "No that's his job" he said, motioning to Krillen and sending him bright red. "You look cute when you blush" 18 informed him  
  
No one really noticed the bedroom door opening and Tarie creeping out until she was right behind 17. "Tarie" 18 stood up, walked over to her friend and hugged her. "Congratulations. She is so beautiful" she said with a smile.  
  
Tarie took her daughter off Krillen and sat down beside 17. "Do you like the name we chose?" she asked through a yawn. "It's perfect" replied 18.  
  
"There was actually something we wanted to ask you both" said 17, looking from Bianca to 18 to Krillen. Tarie nodded in agreement. "What's that?" asked Krillen. "Well, you and 18 have done so much for the three of us, if it weren't for you we wouldn't be holding our baby right now. So 17 and I though it would only be appropriate to ask you to be Bianca's godparents. You don't have to accept, we're only asking"  
  
Both Krillen and 18 were speechless. They looked at each other in shock. This was a huge honor; surely 17 and Tarie could find someone more deserving to play the role of godparent to this perfect little girl. "Well?" asked 17  
  
"I would be absolutely honored to" replied 18. "I'd love to" Krillen said, smiling brightly.  
  
***  
  
It was a day of celebration for all. Especially Bulma. She was not only celebrating the safe arrival of Tarie's baby, which she herself had delivered that morning, but also, today she was announcing her engagement to Prince Vegeta, to the press. It wasn't the press she was worried about though, it was her parents.  
  
Bulma and Vegeta had been engaged for three days now, and still Bulma hadn't told her parents, she had been very careful in making sure they didn't see her engagement ring. She could already predict how they would act though. Her mother would be ecstatic, her father would probably be less thrilled, then give Vegeta some lecture about taking care of his 'little girl'  
  
She pulled on a pink tee shirt with the word 'cute' written on it in silver glitter and a pair of white sweatpants. Tying her hair up in a messy bun and putting on her slippers, she looked up at the clock on her wall. It was almost 9am. She was expecting Vegeta at 10.  
  
Walking out into the lounge room, she began to tidy. Bunny walked out then and stopped dead in her tracks. Was that Bulma? Her Bulma, cleaning? "Honey, are you feeling alright?" she asked "Huh?" she looked up and blinked "yeah, why wouldn't I be?"  
  
Bunny walked across the room to her daughter and felt her forehead, "it's just that I've never seen you clean anything in your entire life. Something must be wrong" "Mum!" Bulma playfully smacked her mother's arm with a magazine.  
  
"Would you like coffee?" Bunny asked walking across to the kitchen and boiling the kettle. "Yes, thank-you" replied Bulma as she went back to her cleaning tasks. A few minutes later, Dr. Briefs walked out of the bedroom, attempting to do up a tie, but failing miserably. Rolling her eyes, Bulma went up to him to help him out, "let me dad" she said. "Thank-you dear. I really need to get to the office"  
  
Bulma's face paled. "What? Can't it wait? How long are you going to be?" "All day. I have much to do today" "No!" she burst out, surprising both of her parents. "Why not dear?" She didn't want to tell them yet! "I...I. Can you be here at 10?" she asked "I really need you both here at 10" "Well, I suppose I can get to the lab a little later than usual"  
  
Bulma threw her arms around her father's neck, very nearly cutting off his air supply "Thank-you daddy! I love you!"  
  
~  
  
Soon enough the hour of 10 came and sure enough, there was a knock on the door. Before Bunny could get too it, Bulma pounced, practically throwing herself at the door and pulling it open. She miss judged though, and instead of stopping when she opened the door, she kept going, and fell right into Vegeta. "Nice to see you too" he commented as he helped her get her balance. Bulma started to laugh, she was totally embarrassed at what had just happened, but there was nothing she could do about it now. "Hi Veg" she greeted him, planting a kiss on his lips. "Do you have to call me that?" he asked "Do you have to call me woman?"  
  
Vegeta didn't reply.  
  
"Ah Vegeta hello. Would you like some coffee? Oh you probably already had coffee with breakfast didn't you? Yes of course you did. So tell me, how have you been?" asked Bunny. Vegeta opened his mouth to reply, but his future mother-in-law kept right on talking. Now there was a scary though, Bunny Briefs, his mother-in-law.  
  
"Is you father well? Well he is the King, Kings are always good aren't they? It must feel special to be the Prince of an entire planet, when I was a little girl I used to want to be a Princess, but I..." "Mum!" Bulma cut Bunny off mid sentence, "You're doing it again" "Doing what dear?" "Rambling"  
  
A slight blush covered Bunny's cheeks "Oh, you're right" Dr. Briefs walked into the room again, he shook Vegeta's hand then sat down in his favorite chair, Bulma and Vegeta took the couch and Bunny took the other chair. "Well what did you want to talk to us about dear?" asked Bunny.  
  
Bulma bit her bottom lip, a nervous habit she had had ever since she was a child. She felt Vegeta take her hand and thread his fingers with hers. It was a small gesture, but filled her with confidence. "Mum, dad, Vegeta and I have something we would like to tell you" "And what would that be?" asked Dr. Briefs "Well, Vegeta and I are...we're engaged"  
  
As Bulma predicted, her mother jumped up out of her chair and smothered her daughter with hugs and kisses. She squeezed down tight on Vegeta's hand trying to get him to free her from her mothers attack. "Ah, Mrs. Briefs. Maybe you should let her breathe?" suggested Vegeta after a few more minutes.  
  
Releasing her daughter from her iron grip, she turned on Vegeta; giving him the same treatment Bulma had received seconds earlier. Bulma could only laugh at him. "Please Vegeta, I won't have any of this Mrs. Briefs nonsense. You're part of the family now, please, call me mum"  
  
Vegeta's face paled, what had he gotten himself into here. He wasn't marring Bulma; he was marring her entire family.  
  
Beside him, Bulma was laughing uncontrollably. Poor Vegeta, he was scared half to death by her mother. What was he going to do when it came time to meet her extended family, and her family was quite extended, she had in excess of 20 cousins.  
  
"So, do you have a ring?" Bunny asked, turning her attention back to her only child. "It's in my room" Bulma replied, running off. She returned seconds later, now wearing the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. "Oh my gosh! It's beautiful. Vegeta, this must have cost you a fortune"  
  
Vegeta only nodded in agreement – it certainly had cost him a fortune.  
  
"Well daddy, are you happy for me?" asked Bulma. "Of course I am sweetheart. I was wondering if I would be able to have a chat with Vegeta out in the hall though?" Bulma knew it had been coming – she knew her parents far to well. "It's fine with me, you'll have to ask Veg"  
  
Vegeta stood up before Dr. Briefs could even ask him. The two men walked outside the small apartment and into the quiet hall. Vegeta leaned back against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
Dr. Briefs cleared his throat before he spoke. "You take care of my little girl, you understand" "Yes sir" replied Vegeta, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Please, promise me you'll look after her. Bulma means everything to me, and I couldn't bare to see her get hurt again" he said, obviously referring to her time with Yumcha. "I'm not Yumcha," said Vegeta said, he was well aware of the period in Bulma's life "I love your daughter dearly, and I would never do anything to hurt her. Do you honestly think I would propose to her, if my intentions weren't pure?" "No, I believe you are a much more noble man than that, Prince Vegeta. I know you'll take good care of her" "I will. And please, just call me Vegeta. Like your wife said, I'm part of the family now"  
  
***  
  
Later that afternoon, after 18 had finished working for the day, she stood out on the balcony of Krillen's bedroom, watching the sun sink behind the mountains. She was the only one in the room; Krillen had gone to get them some dinner.  
  
She heard her stomach growl and poked it with her finger; it did nothing to stop the growling, but amused her for a few seconds nonetheless. Today had been a very exciting day for her. She had a niece! She couldn't believe it, and not only did she have a niece, but she was a godmother. Now that was something she had never expected. But still, she wasn't as surprised as her dear Krillen was, all day, he had hardly been able to wipe the smile off his face. He was flattered beyond all believe that 17 and Tarie had even considered him as a potential godfather to beautiful baby Bianca, let alone actually chosen him.  
  
To see Krillen happy, made 18 smile. Smiles from him were what she lived for.  
  
The door to the room creaking open attracted 18's attention and she turned towards it. Krillen walked through the door pulling a silver trolley behind him. He smiled brightly at her as she walked in off the balcony and shut the glass doors.  
  
"Miss me?" he asked, as he kicked the door shut 18 rolled her eyes "Terribly" she said.  
  
She went and sat on the bed, beside Krillen. Reaching out, she tried to lift the covering off one of the plates, to get to the delicious food underneath, but Krillen took hold of her hand, preventing her from doing so. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing," Krillen replied with a smile "Then why can't I eat?" "You can, in a minute. There's something I want to do first"  
  
18 titled her head and looked at him curiously. Just what was he up to? She watched as he leaned over the bed and fumbled around in the draw of his bedside table for a few seconds. He quickly found whatever it was he was looking for though, and sat upright again.  
  
18 eyed what he was holding and felt herself get short of breath. Krillen was holding a long velvet box; she could guess what was inside it.  
  
He played with the box for a brief second, before extending his arm out and offering it to 18. "This is for you babe. I saw it and thought of you. I hope you like it, but if you don't I can take it back"  
  
Slowly, 18 reached out and took the box out of Krillen's hands, flipping it open, she gasped quietly. Inside was a choker necklace, it was made of silver and had diamonds embedded into it, as well as a large one hanging down in the center. "Krillen," she whispered, looking up at him, "This is beautiful. I...I don't know what to say" "Say that you like it" he suggested She nodded, "I love it Krillen" she said, then placing it beside her, rolled over and on top of Krillen where she kissed him repeatedly. "If this is how you repay me, I'm going to have to buy you presents more often" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You don't have to buy me anything. You do more than enough for me. It makes me feel guilty sometimes" she admitted. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking up at her. "I mean, you are always doing so much for me, and I won't ever be able to repay you, and I feel terrible because of that" she explained. "Don't be silly," said Krillen hugging her a little tighter. "You do so much for me its not even funny" "Oh yeah?" 18 rose an eyebrow "explain?" "Well, just knowing that you love me makes me feel like I'm invincible. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep and you always put a smile on my face. As long with I'm with you, I'll be eternally happy. What more could I possibly ask for?"  
  
18 pressed her lips to Krillens again, attempting to communicate all the passion she was feeling towards him right now. "Have I ever told you I love you?" she asked him "Only about a million times, but I think I could stand to hear it again" he replied with a smile "I love you, I love you, I love you" she said, smiling brightly.  
  
"You know, when I was on Namek, the only thing that kept me going was thinking of you and how much I wanted to see you. I refused to die until I could tell you I loved you" he told her, tucking some of her beautiful blonde hair behind her ear as he did. 18 smiled at his heartfelt confession. It was moments like these that she would forever cherish, she would look back on these days and even though they were plagued with unimaginable horror, she would remember them because Krillen made them worth remembering. "You better not die on me now" she warned, though her voice was far from threatening, it sounded more like she was forcing back tears. "I wouldn't dream of it sweetheart"  
  
***  
  
17 looked down at the tiny infant in his arms and could stop the smile the spread across his lips. This was his daughter, his pride and joy, and he didn't care if it was bad for her – he was going to spoil her rotten, well as best he could. She was going to be daddy's little girl, and 17 was going to do his absolute best to be the best damn father there ever was.  
  
He was going to prove that sons didn't inherit all of their fathers' traits, and that he hadn't got the 'drunk-abusive-father' gene.  
  
Bianca stirred in her fathers arms, but didn't wake, she looked so beautiful in her tiny pink jumpsuit and with her little tuft of blank hair, that when open, contrasted beautifully with her baby green eyes – just like her mother. She was the perfect mixture of 17 and Tarie, and 17 had never seen a more beautiful creation in all of his life. His baby, who would soon grow up to be his child. He had been waiting so long for this day to arrive, so long to hold her in his arms, it all felt so surreal to him.  
  
"Bianca" he spoke softly to her, "daddy loves you, you hear me" he pressed his finger against her palm and her tiny fingers wrapped around his. "I'm never going to let anything happen to you. As long as I'm alive, you'll be safe, I promise"  
  
Unbeknown to 17, he wasn't alone in the room. Tarie stood just in the doorway, it was late at night and 17 should be taking the opportunity to sleep while Bianca was, but she knew he wouldn't. He was in love with her, and it was a more pure love than Tarie had ever seen before. This tiny baby girl whom he had only know for 15 hours had already stolen his heart.  
  
Walking further into the room, Tarie came and sat on the couch next to 17. "She's amazing, isn't she?" she asked. 17 nodded in agreement, to overwhelmed by the proceedings of the day to talk. "You should be asleep" said Tarie, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Can't sleep" replied 17 "And why's that?" asked Tarie, smiling because she already knew what he was going to say. "I want to look at my daughter" "Our daughter" Tarie corrected him.  
  
For the first time, 17 peeled his eyes off of Bianca and looked at Tarie, she was beautiful, so beautiful. Without another word, they got lost in a long passionate kiss, "I am so proud of you" he said "Why is that?" asked Tarie through a yawn, it was late and she was tired. "You brought the most beautiful child ever into the world, then sat back and didn't complain while I took her away again. I've been holding her all day, I think she wants her mummy"  
  
Tarie didn't object, why would she? She watched as 17 carefully placed the tiny child in the capable hands of her mother. Tarie felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight of her daughter. For 10 long months, Bianca had been growing inside of her, Tarie had felt her every movement – every time she kicked or rolled over, she felt it. Often she had wondered what she would look like, which of her parents would she resemble more? And now, holding her in her arms, it all felt like a dream, some beautiful, magical dream. She had waited so long for this day, and now that it was finally here, she didn't know quite what to make of it.  
  
"Can you believe it?" she asked 17 "Believe what?" he asked in reply "That we're a family. The three of us, a family" "It feels pretty great, doesn't it?" "Yeah"  
  
***  
  
Kakkarot wandered around the halls of the palace, searching for Krillen. He had looked everywhere he thought he might be. The kitchen, the training complex, his bedroom, but he had just vanished.  
  
He was about to head outside and to look in the garden, when he saw 18 a little further up the hall, "Hey 18!" he called out to her.  
  
18 stopped, turned around, smiled and waved. "Hi" she greeted him when he got to her side, "how's single life treating you?" she asked, it was a question she asked him every time she saw him. He shrugged his shoulders "fine I guess" "No new lady friends?" asked 18 Kakkarot laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "no, no new lady friends yet. So where are we off to?" "Well I don't know about you, but I'm looking for Krillen" 18 replied as they rounded the corner. Kakkarot's eyes lit up, "me to!" he said.  
  
They wandered the halls for quite some time, talking to each other while on their seemingly pointless search for Krillen. Kakkarot and 18 had formed quite a strong friendship over the past few months, it was kind of remarkable really considering all the many factors that could work against a friendship like this, they were still friends.  
  
After almost half an hour of walking, they did find Krillen, he was out taking a stroll in the garden and when they all met up they decided to sit under their favorite big shady tree by the lake. It was a beautiful place to sit, ducks swam on the lake, flowers grew all around it and the lush green grass was prefect of lazing around on.  
  
"Oh Kakkarot, did you hear? Tarie had her baby!" 18 exclaimed "Really?" Kakkarot asked, sounding excited and thrilled at this news. "Yeah. She was born yesterday morning, they named her Bianca Astrid" "What pretty names" said Kakkarot, having no idea of the significance of either of them.  
  
"Shouldn't you be working babe?" asked Krillen. 18 looked at Krillen with a raised eyebrow, "nice to know you'd rather me be at work then here with you" she said with a smirk. "You know that's not what I meant" "I know. For some reason Chi-chi only left me a really short list today, I finished it in about 4 hours. I swear, she is totally insane that woman" "You think so?" asked Krillen "Believe me, I know so"  
  
They sat outside for some time, enjoying the warm spring sunshine, listening to the birds sing their sweet songs, but eventually Krillen had to go. He needed to meet with his father. With a kiss for 18 and a handshake for Kakkarot, he got up and left. "Do you want to come with me to see Bianca? 17 won't be there, but Tarie will be" "Sure!" Kakkarot jumped at the opportunity.  
  
Getting up, they headed inside the palace; taking their time they were in no rush. 18 was in a very good mood today, she felt like nothing could break it. That was, until she and Kakkarot rounded a corner.  
  
There, walking towards them was Chi-chi, and once she spotted Kakkarot and 18 together, a certain fire exploded in her eyes. "What the hell are you two doing?!" she demanded "Just walking Chi" replied Kakkarot. "With her? You are supposed to love me!" she stated firmly. "What? Chi-chi, we broke up. Remember?" "Please," Chi-chi rolled her eyes "you want me back" "For your information Chi-chi," Kakkarot looked at 18 before he continued "single life is treating me just fine"  
  
Chi-chi seemingly became uninterested in Kakkarot then, and she turned her attention to 18 – she gulped and wished she could just hide behind Kakkarot and be forgotten. She may be tough, but after what had happened 4 days ago, Chi-chi was far from impressed with her. 18 had to note, with some amusement, that Chi-chi had a small bruise on her face from where she had slapped her.  
  
"You" Chi-chi hissed at 18, "This is all your fault" "What, may I ask ma'am, is all my fault?" 18 asked, sucking up to Chi-chi in attempt to get a less harsh beating. Chi-chi swung her arm out wildly in front of her, fire burning in her eyes. "What?!" she repeated, "This! Kakkarot and I broke up because of you!"  
  
Both 18 and Kakkarot's eyes widened in shock. What the hell was Chi-chi on about? She really had gone crazy. "Chi-chi, I broke up with you because I wasn't happy, it had nothing at all to do with 18" Kakkarot explained as calmly as possible. "Don't you dare lie to me Kakkarot. I know the truth! I know that you broke up with me because you love her" she sneered, pointing her finger at 18, who looked shocked. "What?" Kakkarot didn't really know what to say, "are you insane? It was your fault we broke up, not hers" "I don't believe you. After all you've put me through. You can still lie to me!"  
  
Kakkarot narrowed his eyes and looked directly at his ex, "For god's sake Chi-chi, will you get over your self? You think you are the most important person on this entire planet and everyone should worship you. Well wake up Chi-chi, the entire planet does not revolve around you and what you want!" he said, almost shouting in his rage.  
  
Chi-chi's jaw dropped, how dare he speak back to her like that! "Kakkarot, get out of my sight!" she stomped her foot on the ground to emphasize her point, "just get lost!"  
  
"With pleasure," he said coldly, turning to face 18 he said, "c'mon 18, let's go" and they left. Leaving a very angry Chi-chi behind them.  
  
***  
  
A/N; Well, what did you think of the Names I chose for Tarie's baby? I just came into my head to name her after 2 of the most special people in 17's life. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you though. I'll try to update again soon ok!  
  
~D.B 


	42. A Royal Disaster

Disclaimer: I still don't own it. I hate disclaimers!

A/N: Look, and update within 2 weeks of the last one! Are you all proud of me? I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, I put a lot of hard work into it. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank every last one of you who has left a review to this story, and helped me get more than 300 reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me!

Well, I hope you all like this, and I'll try to get this updated again soon. ~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 41**

Sitting at her desk, Bulma raked her hands through her hair and sighed. Eyeing the huge pile of magazines and newspapers beside her, she frowned. She had a killer headache and was in no mood to be working. Looking at the clock Bulma grimaced it was only 4pm, she didn't finish work for another whole hour.

Beside the pile of papers, was a notepad, Bulma smiled and picked up the pad. Scanning her eyes over it, she suddenly felt better. It was a list, of many many wedding details. Oh yes, she was in full wedding planning mode. The King had hired the planets top wedding planner and this was shaping up to be an event that would be remembered forever.

Speaking of the wedding planner, Bulma and Vegeta were supposed to be meeting with her at 7pm to discuss seating and table decorations. Vegeta had told Bulma many times that he didn't give a crap where he was married or what the room looked like, Bulma would have none of it though. As far as Bulma was concerned, her wedding was the most important day of both her own and Vegeta's life, and there was no way she was going to do it all by herself.

She was snapped out of her thought by someone knocking on the door, and speak of the devil, it was Vegeta.

"Hey" she greeted him. He strode across the room and kissed her before replying, "Hi" he said, sitting down in the chair on the other side of Bulma's desk

"What can I do for you?" asked Bulma, "I'm supposed to be working"

"I don't care what you're supposed to be doing'

"Oh really?" she asked

"Yes really. Don't you remember what we are doing this afternoon?"

Bulma furrowed her brow in thought, but her mind was a mental blank. She was supposed to be doing something today? "No, I don't remember"

Vegeta shook his head, "You are a fool woman. I have two words for you. Press Meeting"

Bulma's eyes widened, now she remembered, how could she forget! "Damn it. I need to go get ready"

"Lucky I came and got you then, isn't it" he said, following Bulma's lead, and standing up.

"Yes Vegeta," Bulma said as she hurriedly shut down her computer and collected her things, "What would I do without you?"

"Be late for everything?"

Bulma practically ran down the halls, getting many odd looks from passers by, Vegeta followed behind her at a leisurely pace. Arriving at the apartment she shared with her parents, she threw her belonging to the ground and disappeared into the bathroom for the quickest shower in history.

Vegeta walked into the small main room of the apartment and picked up the things his woman had thrown to the ground in her haste and took them to her bedroom. God he hated this room, almost everything was pink, and he detested pink. The walls were pink, the bedspread was pink, there was a pink rug on the floor. Everything else was white, but he still hated it. Sitting down on the bed, he noticed a photo frame on Bulma's bedside table, picking it up, he inspected it closer. Inside the frame was a picture of himself and Bulma, it had been taken only a few weeks before hand. He couldn't remember who had taken it, but they had done a damn good job. The picture showed Bulma and Vegeta sitting by the lake, he was wearing his usual blank expression and Bulma was smiling like an idiot. The sun was setting in the back round, giving everything an eerie yet oddly beautiful orange glow. It really was a beautiful shot.

Bulma walked into the room then, the only thing covering her was a skimpy white towel.

"Why must you tease me like that, woman?" he asked

She turned to face him and flicked her fingers at him, splashing him with droplets of water. "Well, no one told you to come in here, did they now?"

She disappeared into her very expansive closet and stayed in there for quite some time, finally she returned wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a silky red top with white flowers on it, and a black suit jacket. Picking up her hair dryer, she set to work drying, brushing and styling her beautiful blue hair into the perfect do.

It amazed Vegeta how effortless she made hair care seem.It annoyed him.

***

The King stood at the back of the crowed room, his young personal assistant beside him yapping away on her mobile phone. She was talking about him, as she dropped his name about ever 3 seconds, she was probably organizing for him to attended some charity, or grand opening. Something he didn't really care about.

Focusing his attention on the front of the room, he watched on proudly as his son and soon to be daughter-in-law handled the press with cool confidence and much practiced expertise. The news of Prince Vegeta to wed, was probably one of the biggest stories to grace the covers of papers and magazines in the last 24 months. There was nothing the general public loved more than thinking that they were actually a part of what went on inside the palace walls, that everything that went on here effected them in some way. Which was why stories involving the Royal Family sold so well.

Especially since the whole Namek thing. Vegeta had suddenly become one of Vegeta-sei's most respected icons, not to mention an absolute heart throb to million of teenage Sayian girls all across the planet, and the King couldn't see why his son shouldn't be getting as much attention as he did. He deserved it after all. Not to take anything away from all the other men who played their part up on Namek, without them, they would all surely be dead by now, but in the end, it had been Vegeta who got rid of Frieza once and for all.

Tuning back into the Press Conference, the King realized he might have to intervene, there were at least 400 reporters here, and they all thought that their question was the most important, and that Bulma and Vegeta should listen to their question and give them the most detailed answer. The poor duo had been sitting there for close to an hour now, and even before Bulma came into this hot, noisy room she wasn't feeling terrific. The poor thing looked like a ghost.

Pushing his way through the crowd of agitated reporters, he climbed the few steps and walked up onto the raised platform where his son and Bulma were sitting.

"Are you ok?" he asked Bulma, leaning down and speaking quietly in her ear.

Bulma only shook her head.

"Son, help her up and take her to get a glass of water and some fresh air"

"Ok" agreed Vegeta, pushing back his chair and standing up.

As soon as the press realized something was up, they all fell silent, waiting for some kind of an explanation as to why their questions had yet to be answered.

"Ladies and gentleman, I am very sorry to interrupt you all, but as you are plainly able to see, Ms. Briefs isn't feeling herself at the moment. I am going to have to call a stop to this conference. I do apologize on behalf of both my son and Ms. Briefs"

Vegeta helped Bulma down off the stage and lead her out the room, the crowd of journalists all moved out of their way, quietly muttering to themselves about just what the hell was going on.

The Kings assistant pushed open the doors and the young couple disappeared out of sight. It only took a few seconds before someone had the smart idea that since the King was up on the platform, he could ask him question, it wasn't long before this notion passed thought the idea crowd, and the King was stuck.

~

"Woman, are you alright?" Vegeta asked once they were out in the hall.

"I dunno" replied Bulma, holding her stomach

"Are you going to be sick?" he asked

"In don't think so"

"Well, come on, let's go get you something to drink"

Before they even made it a quarter of the way to the kitchen, Bulma decided she couldn't walk anymore, resulting in Vegeta picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way.

It was only a short walk to the kitchen, something Vegeta was grateful for, when you considered the amount of people with cameras that were currently inside the palace walls. He could already imagine tomorrow's headlines. "Prince Vegeta's fiancée pregnant!" or something absurd like that. That was the way it worked here on Vegeta-sei, you did one little thing, and the press would blow it totally out of proportion. Bulma left the room because she was feeling ill, but the press would probably just assume that she was suffering a side effect of pregnancy or had some weird virus and would be dead within the week.

Walking into the kitchen, he placed Bulma down on her feet, where she sat down at the table.

Krillen was also in the room, poking at a piece of cake with his fork, though he stopped completely once he was joined by his brother and Bulma.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned

"Nothings wrong" replied Vegeta as he filled up a glass of water, "The woman was just feeling unwell. Here you go, drink that" he said, handing Bulma the glass of cool liquid.

"Thanks" she muttered holding her head in her hands.

"Hey are you sure you're ok Bulma?" asked Krillen

Bulma sculled the water before she replied, "yeah, I'll be fine, I'm just tried"

"Ok then," said Krillen as he stood up and put his plate in the sink, "Well, I'm off to see 18, I'll see you both later ok"

***

"17, have you seen the nappies?" called Tarie, looking around everywhere for the elusive nappies.

17 walked out of the bedroom and threw a nappy at her, smiling as he did. Tarie promptly changed Bianca, then re-dressed her and handed the tiny infant over to her father.

She was only 3 days old, and already she was daddy's little girl.

"Something smell great" 17 called over his shoulder to Tarie, who stood in the kitchen preparing the small families evening meal. 17 looked down at Bianca and smiled, she was awake and her bright green eyes were locked on to the crystal blue ones of her father.

17 couldn't help the feeling of over whelming joy he felt when he looked at her. He had already made so many plans for this tiny girl, he was going to give her the best life that he possibly could, he would do anything for her, he would gladly die for her just so she would never have to experience a second of pain.

He had never imaged in his wildest dreams that he would ever be able to feel a love this intense, to just look at his daughter, made him feel like his life had meaning. He suddenly became aware of movement beside him, looking to his left, he saw Tarie sitting down beside him

He looked at her, beaming from ear to ear. He loved her more than words could possibly express. She brought him his little girl.

"Thank-you" he said, then leaned over and kissed her.

Tarie was confused, what exactly was it she had done, "For what?" she asked

"For making my life complete. Without you and Bianca, I would be nothing. You two mean everything to me" explain 17

Tarie felt tears well up in her eyes. "17," she chocked out, close to tears, "I love you"

"I love you to, and one day, I'll find a way to prove to you just how much"

***

"Are you ok?"

"Leave me alone"

18 blinked and tucked some loose hair back behind her ear. "Hey, look I only want to talk to you" she spoke back, beginning to loose her cool with his girl.

The younger of the two, flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and shot 18 an angry glare. "Well, I don't want to talk to you" she spat.

"Ok listen to me," 18 snapped, effectively getting the girls attention. "I know what it's like to be you ok. You think you have it hard, but I've seen worse. Do you know where I grew up? The harem, I got transferred here about a year ago and if you think you have it as tough as it gets. I hate to tell you that you are sadly mistaken. You know, you remind me a hell of me, and I don't like it. Here attitudes like that wont get you anything but a kick in the guts, trust me, I know. So I suggest you drop the act and get a grip" 18 preached to the young girl, who sat staring at 18, gaping like a fish.

"My…my name is S–Sachi" she stuttered, shocked that someone would speak to her like that.

"Thank-you. You know, I can help you. I know exactly what you're going through, I know how horrible it feels"

"I feel like I'm going to die" Sachi murmured.

"You won't die unless you step out of line, like I said, drop the attitude and you'll be fine"

Sachi rubbed a few tears from her cheeks with her fist, "Am I ever going to see my family again?" she asked.

18 wasn't one for leading people on, she told things as she saw them, no crap. "Probably not, but you have to be strong. But hey, who knows, I found my brother after loosing him for 7 years."

The young girls eyes grew wide, "really?" She asked, "Where is he?"

"He used to live down here, with me and our friends, in fact you've claimed his bed. Now he lives upstairs, his girlfriend had a baby girl 3 days ago. By the way, my name is 18"

"18? That's a funny name"

"Trust me, it's a long story. How old are you?"

"14"

18 nodded her head. She felt so sorry for this girl, she was scared, petrified. The poor thing had been so violently thrust into this strange new world, taken from her family and expected to survive down here. How could a 14-year-old girl possibly have any idea how to make it in a place like this?

18's sharp ears picked up on the door to the slave quarters being opened, but she chose to ignore it. Though only a few seconds later, Krillen walked into the room where 18 was conversing with Sachi.

Sachi caught sight of him, knowing full well who he was and her jaw dropped open in shock.

"Hey babe" he greeted 18, taking a seat beside her.

18 turned to smile warmly at him, then turned back to the girl. "Sachi," she said, "this is Krillen. Krillen, this is my new friend Sachi"

Krillen held out his hand, which the young girl dumbly shook, "nice to meet you" he said, flashing her an impeccable smile.

"Y…you to" she stuttered, then shook her head, clearing her thoughts "what are you doing here?" she asked

18 supplied the answer, "Krillen is my good friend" she said with a smile, hoping Krillen got the message that she didn't want Sachi to know about them.

"18, I need to speak to you" said Krillen.

"Alright, speak" she replied

"Alone"

"Oh, ok. Do you want to go outside?" she asked

Krillen nodded.

"Ok then. I have to go Sachi, I'll see you later"

~

Outside, it was a little after sunset, and even though it was almost dark, the air was warm. They silently headed towards the big palace swimming pool, where they sat down in the soft seats by the waters edge. It was such a relaxing place to be, looking up at the stars the relaxing sound of the wind pushing the water around filling your ears.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?" 18 asked, after some time

Krillen looked across at her and smiled, "nothing," he replied with a smirk, "I just wanted you to myself for a while, that's all"

18 had to laugh. She watched as Krillen stood up and moved to her side, "Wanna go for a swim?" he asked

She almost snorted, "no" she replied, trying not to laugh.

"But…but I've gone to so much trouble" he said, putting on his puppy dog pout.

18 looked around, sitting up a little more in her chair, "no you haven't. You haven't done anything but bring me up here"

"Oh haven't I?" he asked slyly, raising an eyebrow

"No, you haven't" she retorted.

"Well then, if that's you're attitude, I'm about to prove you wrong"

18 looked confused. She watched as Krillen walked off around the corner. She had no idea what he did next, but suddenly all the bushes surrounding the pool began to sparkle, they had fairy lights threaded through them and soft music started to play. 18 looked all around her, having no idea what in the hell was going on.

"Krillen!" she called out.

"What?" he asked, coming back into her view.

A warm smile settled on 18's face. "Krillen" she spoke his name again, but it sounded completely different.

"So," he asked, taking her hands and pulling her up out of the chair, "Wanna come swimming yet?"

"No" 18 shook her head.

"Awww, that's to bad" he said, gently gliding her back towards the pool, and grinning evilly

"Krillen, what are you doing?" 18 sounded worried, "I don't want to go swimming"

"Why not?" he asked, still pushing her backwards

"I'll get wet!"

"That's the best you can do?" Krillen asked raising an eyebrow

"Krillen" she threatened then stopped dead. Her feet were half off the edge, if Krillen let go of her hands she would fall back and straight into the water.

"Hmmm, what should I do?" Krillen thought out loud

"One thing you shouldn't do it let me fall in this pool" 18 informed him.

"You can swim?" Krillen asked her, "Can't you?"

"Well yeah, but…" she never got any further because Krillen let her go and she fell into the surprisingly warm water.

"Krillen!" she shrieked his name as she surfaced, holding onto the edge of the pool with one hand, and wiping water out her eyes with the other, "I'm going to kill you!"

There was no reply. Looking around, 18 noticed she couldn't see Krillen anywhere. If he had pushed her in and done a runner, she swore she really would kill him. But no, she saw bubbles, and a few second later Krillen surfaced in the middle of the pool, grinning like an idiot.

He swam over to her and flicked her with water, "see, it's not so bad in here. Is it?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her neck

18 scowled at him briefly, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "I suppose not" she said.

"So," Krillen asked, his lips briefly brushing up against hers, "What should we do now?"

"I dunno," she replied, pressing her wet body closer to Krillens and kissing him, "Why don't you tell me?"

***

"There, done" the King muttered to himself as he sealed shut the envelop shut and scrawled the names of his children across it. Then, standing up from his desk he walked across to his bed and produced a suitcase from underneath it.

He was running out of time, he was due to leave at midnight, it was now 11. He had one hour.

His mind raced as he took things from his closet, roughly folded them and stuffed them in his case. This was big, one of the biggest thing he had ever done, no scratch that.

This was the biggest thing he had ever done.

But he just had to do it. Everything inside him was saying that this was the right thing to do. He knew that everyone would understand, they had to understand. Sure, they would be shocked; they might even try to deny it for a while, but denying what they were about to find out would be useless. Because whether they would choose to believe it or not, it was true.

~

Looking up at the wall clock, the King sighed. He had 20 minutes, picking up suitcase; he took one last glance around the room and stepped out into the dark hall.

Quietly, he made his way down the long dark corridors of the palace. He quickly came to his eldest sons door, what he would have given at that moment in time to open the door, walk in and hug his first born child, just like he had done when he was a child. It had happened with all his children, he had been so close to them when they were young; he had had such a special bond with them. But they weren't his little babies any more, they were all grown up and doing their own things. He had lost touch with them. Even his one tradition of eating breakfast with them each morning had died out, and as much as it pained him to see it happen, there was nothing he could do to stop it. His children had grown out of loving their father. It was sad really, he had lost his children and hadn't even realized until it was far to late.

That was why he was sure they wouldn't be to affected when they woke up the next morning.

Clutching the envelope tight in his grip, he placed it on the small table just opposite Vegeta's bedroom door; he should see it there when he woke up.

Gently placing his bag on the ground, the King quickly wiped a tear off his cheek, leaving all this behind was hard, but thinking of what he was about to gain made it all so much easier. But still, leaving his children was such a hard thing to do. More tears came as he picked up his suitcase, but he made no attempt to get rid of them. Why bother? No one could see him anyway.

Turning on his heel, he walked away from his sleeping children. Praying that they wouldn't hate him come sunrise.

***

Opening her eyes, Bulma sat up and looked around the empty room. _'Where in the hell is Vegeta?'_ she thought as she ran her hand through her sleep tousled hair. Climbing out of the bed, she picked her robe up off the floor and slipped it on. Walking across the room and collecting her slippers on the way, she pushed open the door to the bathroom, but it was empty.

"Vegeta?" she called through a yawn, though he clearly wasn't in the room. As she expected, no reply came.

She walked into the bathroom, and quickly tied her hair back, then she ventured out into the hall, to continue her search for her missing fiancée. She didn't make it much out the doorway though before she almost got knocked over by a man a little older than her rushing right by her.

"Sorry Ms. Briefs" he called over his shoulder without stopping.

"Ok" Bulma muttered as she walked down the hall. It was unusually busy this morning, people kept rushing past her, and they all seemed very worried. They were yelling at each other, or into cell phone, some had clipboards and all were in a major rush to get somewhere.

She soon found out where they were headed, it was the same place she was. Walking into the throne room, she spotted Vegeta, like her, he was still clad in his pajamas and robe. He didn't notice Bulma walk into the room, he was to busy yelling into the telephone, and he sounded very mad.

"Vegeta?" she asked once he had finished abusing the person on the other end, "what's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know. My father has gone missing!" he explained

"What?" Bulma sounded alarmed.

"The police are searching, the elites are searching, but nobody can find him"

"Vegeta…I…I'm so sorry" she said, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's alright. I'm confident that there is nothing wrong with him. Where ever he is, he's alright"

"How do you know"?

"I just do"

A few minutes later, Krillen walked into the room, unlike the others he had actually taken the time to put some clothes on. "What the hell is going on here? I practically just got forced out of my bed, and told to get my butt down here pronto"

"I'm sorry Krillen. I didn't tell them to do that"

"What's happening?" Krillen asked again, taking a long glance around the room, "Where's father?"

Vegeta just shrugged his shoulders, "That seems to be the question of the morning"

"So what, you don't know where he is?"

"Nobody does! He's just disappeared!"

Krillens eyes grew wide. Disappeared, how could that be? Vegeta answered his next question before he could even ask it.

"People are out looking for him, don't worry about that"

"Does Chi-chi know?" asked Krillen

"I couldn't care less if Chi-chi knows or not"

"Vegeta," Bulma started, but she was cut off.

"Woman, as long as my father is not here, I am in charge and I don't really give a damn what Chi-chi knows and does not know, as long as she stays away from you and she stays away from me"

***

Bulma stared blankly into the mirror, hardly even registering her own reflection. While she might of appeared motionless on the outside, on the inside her mind was running a mile a minute. Where could the King possibly have gone? Vegeta was sure that he had left of his own accorded and she believed him. But to her the real question seemed not to be where he had gone, but why he had left.

"Ms. Briefs?" the older woman called her, "Ms. Briefs!"

Shaking her head, Bulma snapped back into the here and now. "Yes?" she asked.

"How's that?"

For the first time Bulma actually looked at her reflection, and she almost lost her breath. She wasn't looking at her on reflection, no she couldn't be. She was wearing the most beautiful wedding dress she had ever seen, which had been designed especially for her. "Is it to your liking?" asked the woman who was tailoring the dress.

Bulma could hardly speak; she didn't even look like herself, in the pristine white, strapless ball gown that flowed all the way to the ground. "I…I…I love it," she said as she gently fingered the silky white material, "It's prefect"

"Great," the woman said as she stood up and helped Bulma down off the platform. "Now, I have to bead the jewels onto the hem, train and veil, and make a few minor adjustment to the bodice. But apart from that, I would say it is done" she explained as she unzipped the dress and hung it up where it couldn't get dirty.

"Thank-you so much" said Bulma gratefully as she slipped back into her light blue jeans and white singlet top.

"Don't mention it. We are more than happy to be assisting you with your special day"

A few minutes later, Bulma had left the room and was again wandering around the palace halls. It was Saturday, she didn't work on the weekends, and she didn't want to disturb Vegeta, when he had so much to deal with. Both him and Krillen had been swamped all day with press, trying to locate their father and running the planet. She hadn't even seen Chi-chi.

It was getting late, Bulma should be getting home. Her mother didn't like it when she wasn't home for dinner. It only took her a few minutes to get to the small apartment she shared with her parents. But when she got there, no one else was home.

Walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water, she glanced at the calendar that was stuck to the fridge, there in big bold letters and circled in red pen were the words Bulma's Wedding! Counting the days, Bulma smiled, only 3 weeks until the big day. In 3 short weeks she would be married!

***

"Vegeta, why don't you go get some rest" suggested Krillen as he sunk further into his fathers throne. It had been an exhausting day for both of them, but Vegeta looked like he was about to drop dead.

"No, I'm alright" he protested.

"Vegeta"

"What?"

"Go get some sleep. I'm almost done here, then I'm going to bed as well"

Vegeta was about to protest, but the door to the throne room was pushed open and Bulma slipped into the room, pulling 18 along behind her.

"Hello ladies" Krillen greeted them.

"Hello sir" Bulma said, "We have come to take you away"

"Have you now?" asked Krillen, looking at 18, she looked sleepy. Pushing himself up and out of his fathers throne he walked across the room, took 18's hand and lead her back to the royal chair, "Sit down here" he told her. She didn't protest.

"Vegeta, are you coming to bed soon. It's late"

"See, she knows what she talking about!" called Krillen from across the room

"Thank-you Krillen, you can shut your mouth now!" ordered Vegeta, "I'll be there in a few minutes"

"I'll wait here" for you" Bulma offered, walking over to 18, "Shove over?" she asked, the throne was big enough for them both to fit in, Bulma noted with some amusement.

For the next 20 minutes, the girls sat conversing, waiting for their respective others to finish their royal duties, for the two tried women, it seemed to drag out forever. But finally the boys decided to call it a night.

"C'mon woman, lets go" Vegeta called. Krillen was a little gentler in his approach, he didn't want to disturb 18 from her near sleeping state, so he picked her up and carried her down towards his bedroom.

~

Vegeta stood leaning against the wall, while he waited for Bulma to unlock the door to his room, when something caught his eye. Walking across the wide hall, he picked up and envelop. It had the names of Krillen, Chi-chi and himself on it.

"Bulma" he called, walking into the room and sitting on the bed.

"Yeah?" replied Bulma from the bathroom, where she was unpinning her hair.

"Come here"

Bulma noticed the weird tone in her fiancées voice and walked out the bathroom and sat down beside him. "What's that?" she asked, looking at the paper in his hands.

"A letter"

"From who?"

"My father"

Bulma didn't exactly know what to say, "o…oh" she stuttered, "What's it say?"

"Haven't read it yet" he replied.

Bulma sensed that he probably wanted to be alone while he read it, "I'll be in the bathroom," she said, making herself scares.

Vegeta looked down at the paper, the hand writing on it, undoubtedly his fathers, would this explain his sudden disappearing act?

_My dear children,_

_If you're reading this, then I am gone. I'm sorry I couldn't inform you prior to my departure, but I didn't feel it the right thing to do at the time. Please don't waste you're time looking for me, because you will fail, I am gone._

_Before I tell you where I have gone, there are a few things I want you to know. I am so very proud of all of you and what you have achieved. I could not have asked for more perfect children. I know that I don't show it often, but I love you all dearly and even though I am gone now, that will never change. You have all grown up right before my very eyes, into mature adults, so I know you will be able to handle this newest hurdle in your life, with grace, poise and the level of professionalism that will be required of you._

_Vegeta, I will be back in 3 weeks for your big day. That is something I would never miss, you need not worry about that. I know your life with Bulma will be a long and happy one_

_You must be wondering where I have fled to, and it is time that you know. You see, I am in love and I wasn't able to contain it any longer. Who? You may ask is it that has stolen my heart. You know her well. The new passion in my life is none other than the beautiful Queen Kahlia. I have gone to be by her side._

_Please, don't feel I am abandoning you. I thought about my decision long and hard before finally making up my mind, and I know you will all pull through this because you are strong. I will not become absent and non-existant in your lives, I am taking a step forward with my life, but I am not leaving you, my dead children behind._

_All my love,_

_Vegeta Sr._

Vegeta blinked and read over the letter again. Her wasn't sure if this was some kind of a prank, or if his father had really gone.

"Bulma"

"What is it?" Bulma asked, taking the spot on the bed beside him again.

"Take a look at this"

Bulma quickly scanned over the letter; her eyes grew wide as she did. "Vegeta, do you know what this means?" she asked, sounding stunned.

"What?" Vegeta asked sarcastically, Bulma didn't notice though.

"No stupid, I don't know. I was asking if you knew"

"Oh. Well, I no, I don't" he replied

"Who's going to run the planet? We have no King!"

"Like I said, I don't know. I suppose I'm going to have to tell everyone though"

"You can't now, Vegeta" Bulma informed him, once again acting as the voice or reason inside his cluttered mind.

"And why not?" he demanded to know.

"Because it's almost midnight! You can't go around alarming everyone at this hour of the night. Is that clear?"

Vegeta blinked, as usual, she was right.

Putting an arm around Vegeta's shoulders, Bulma let out a long sigh. "I know you're shocked Vegeta. I am to. But please, don't go getting yourself all worked up over this. There is nothing you can do about it anyway. Do you know what I suggest?"

"What?" asked Vegeta

"I suggest lying down, and trying to get some rest. You'll wake up in the morning with a fresh mind, and a whole new outlook on this situation, I promise"

"How can I sleep when something like this is going on?" he asked, waving the paper around in Bulma's face.

"Simple," she replied, taking the paper off him, "forget about it. I'll help you take your mind off it"

***

A/N: Well, what did you all think? How will everyone react to this latest bombshell? You'll find out in the next chapter. We are on the home stretch of this fic now, after this chapter there are 4 more chapters and an epilogue to go! We'll hope you'll all decide to review and I'll see you in the next chapter!

P.S: Show you love for K/18…Join the 'Krillen and 18 Campaign'

~D.B


	43. The Big Day

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ ok! Oh geesh I hate disclaimers…

A/N: Look, a faster update! 3 cheers for me! Lol. Well anyway, I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, its probably one of the longest chapters so far and I really did put lots of hard work into. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my good pal Brian because you sent me an e-mail review and it made feel special. Thanks! Hope you enjoy this chap! ~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 42**

Before anyone was really aware of it, 3 weeks had gone past. Well, 2 weeks and 5 days to be exact. It was a beautiful afternoon, the first day of summer. Birds were chirping in the trees, a warm breeze was blowing through the palace bringing with it all the delightful smells of summer and good moods all around.

"Hey, you coming in?" Bulma called out as she stripped out of her denim mini skirt and yellow shirt to reveal a hot pink bikini underneath.

18 almost laughed, "You've got to be kidding!" she retorted

"Ok then, you're loss" Bulma replied, jumping into the pool, splashing 18 with tiny droplets of water.

18 then heard two more voices behind her. Spinning around, she saw Krillen and Kakkarot walking up towards the pool, both dressed in swimming shorts and carrying towels over their shoulders.

"Hi babe" Krillen shouted as he raced over to 18, picked her up and flung her over his shoulder.

"Krillen!" she shrieked "What are you doing?!"

"Having fun," Krillen replied placing her back on the ground and kissing her.

18 was taken completely by surprise by Krillens sudden change in mood. For the past few days he had been bleak and depressed, crushed under the weight of running the palace, even with Vegeta by his side, it was hard work for a 20 year old with no experience what so ever.

They heard a splash as Kakkarot jumped into the pool, then a few seconds later a shocked squeal as he surfaced under Bulma and threw her off his shoulders. Even 18 couldn't help laughing at that.

Bulma came up gasping for air and laughing like a maniac. "Kakkarot, what was that for?" she asked, as she swum over to him and splashed him with huge amounts of water.

"You're coming in the pool, right?" Krillen asked as he flung his towel over the back of one of the chairs.

"I don't think so," replied 18, "I'm not much of a swimmer"

"But it's the first day of summer!" Krillen exclaimed, "It's tradition to go in the pool on the first day of summer!"

"It's not my tradition" argued 18.

"Well if you're going to be part of our family you are going to have to take up our traditions" he said with a smile.

18 raised an eyebrow, "I'm going to be part of your family?" she asked with a grin

"If you want. But right now, you're going swimming"

"I don't have a suit" 18 said, thinking that would deter him.

"That's ok, we don't mind" he said, smirking devilishly

"What are you up to?" 18 asked wryly

Krillen only flashed her a cheeky smile

The next thing 18 knew, she was in the pool. While Krillen had distracted her, Kakkarot had snuck up behind her, then he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her into the pool. The first thing she heard when she surfaced was everyone laughing.

"That wasn't funny," she said, then totally contradicted herself by chuckling.

These were good times for her, finally, after so many years of being mistreated and abused, things were finally starting to go her way. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she could actually smile because she was happy. A true, happy smile.

She had a loving boyfriend, something she had never had before, great friends who liked her for her, appreciated and understood her, the best brother and niece a girl could ask for and best off all, she hadn't seen Chi-chi in days and days. Well for that matter, no one had. It was no secret any more that she was completely and utterly insane, but in the last week or so it had really exploded.

She hadn't come out of her room in about a week, and if you walked around the outside side of the palace and looked up, you would see her blind was pulled shut also. Krillen had requested that the cooks leave 2 meals a day outside her room. It was sweet, even after all she had put him through, he was still worried about his older sister.

Really, it had all started when the Kings departure was announced. She had taken the news worst than most, spending the hour's immediately following the announcement running up and down the palace halls screaming the word 'papa' at the top of her lungs. Obviously searching for him. Until she had just worn herself out and had to be carried back to her room. After that, she had been making her self scares, then she just disappeared all together.

It was 18's idea of heaven. Friends, family and no work.

18 was brought back into the here and now by the sound of laughter and water splashing her face.

"What's wrong babe?" Krillen asked, swimming over to her and resting a hand on her shoulder.

18 blinked and flashed him a bright smile, "nothing" she said.

"You sure?" Krillen asked, dipping his hands below the water and wrapping them around 18's waist.

"Yes I'm sure" she reassured him.

Krillen looked at her for a few seconds, before a big smile spread across his face "alright then. But if ever you're not alright, let me know"

"Will do. Now go play" 18 said with a laugh.

18 hauled herself out of the pool and sat on the edge, swishing her legs back and fourth in the cool water. Before long, Bulma came and joined her. "What's up?" she asked

18 rolled her eyes, "why does everyone keep asking me that? Nothings up, and I'm fine"

Bulma had to laugh, "you know me far to well 18"

She shrugged her shoulders before replying, "It's a gift"

The two girls sat quiet for a few minutes watching Krillen and Kakkarot swat a brightly colored inflatable ball to each other.

"Don't get sun burnt" 18 suddenly commented out of virtually nowhere.

"Huh?" Bulma looked confused

"You're getting married in 2 days, you don't want to be all red, it doesn't go very well with white" 18 explained

"You're right 18," said Bulma. 18 watched as she stood up and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen off the plastic table by the pool. Handing it to 18 she asked, "would you mind?"

"Ah sure" 18 replied as she squirted some of the contents of the bottle onto her hand and rubbed it into Bulma's back, making sure she covered everywhere she could see.

"Here, why don't you let me" came a gruff voice from behind 18. Turning around and looking up, she saw Vegeta. He was not dressed in pool attire at all, but still she moved out of the way by slipping back into the cool water.

"Having fun?" Vegeta asked as he ran his hands along Bulma's smooth shoulders.

"Yes thank you" she replied, leaning back against him and effectively getting sunscreen all over his shirt. Her mumbled something under his breath that Bulma couldn't understand and went to stand up.

Bulma wouldn't have it though and grabbed onto Vegeta's legs, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Woman" he mumbled.

"What Vegeta?" she asked sweetly, smiling up at him.

"Let go of me"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"I throw you in the pool" he threatened.

"I'll be taking you with me"

A scowl settled on Vegeta's face, but it wasn't a wholehearted scowl. His eyes were giving him away, they were sparkling with life and happiness. He couldn't help but smile at her.

Squeezing onto his leg a little tighter, Bulma mouthed the words 'I love you, to him, then promptly contorted her body in such a way that Vegeta went toppling into the pool. Causing Bulma, along with everyone else to burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Woman!" Vegeta scolded her while grabbing onto her arm and pulling her to, into the pool

***

The sun had long ago set over the land, starts shimmered in the night sky bring even the darkest corners to life.

Tarie wandered down halls she hadn't walked for months, yet still seemed all to familiar to her, the cold floor against her bare feet sent chills up her spine and made her shudder. Without even realizing it, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders for extra warmth. Had she really become so weak that she could no longer stand the conditions she had survived for so long.

The familiar, foul odour filled her nose and made her stomach turn. She was tempted to turn back, but she had come so far, and besides, why should she be afraid of this. She grew up here and knew full well what to expect.

 Pushing hard against the door to the slave quarters she managed to push it open just enough to slip through. From here on in, she knew where she was going. Making her way through the cold rooms, she came to where she used to call home.

"18" she called in a loud whisper

Someone groaned, but it was not 18, it sounded far to young to be 18.

"Tarie, is that you?" 18 asked drowsily as she sat up and ran her hand through her hair, which was still damp from the shower she had taken earlier.

As Tarie's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she noticed a small body in the bed she used to share with 17. A new shipment? She had no idea.

"Who's that?" she asked. 18 climbed out the bed and pulled on her skirt.

"Shhh, that's Sachi, you'll wake her. Let's get out of here"

The two young girls quickly made their way out of the slave quarters and to the palace above them.

"Sorry to wake you, I just really needed another girl to talk to"

"Hey", 18 said through a yawn, "It's no biggie. What do you want to talk about?"

"Bianca"

A proud smile settled on 18's face at the mention of her three week old niece. "What about her?"

"I…. I just don't feel like I'm connecting with her"

18 blinked, she had seen Tarie with Bianca, she was a natural. "What are you talking about? You are great with her"

"It's not that I have a problem with. I just don't feel like I've connected with her emotionally, like 17 has. He knows what she wants just by listening to her cry, I can't do that." She explained, sniffing back tears, "I feel like I don't know my own daughter"

18 put her arm around Tarie's shoulder in a comforting hug "Tarie," her voice was full of sympathy, "It's alright. I know you are a fantastic mother, I've seen you. Bianca loves you and you love her, that's all there is to it. 18 didn't exactly know what to say, but she was trying her best and hoping that it worked.

"But 18…I-" 18 cut her off.

"But nothing. I'm right, trust me."

"You don't know what it's like though. I feel like I've failed my baby"

"Have you talked to 17 about this? He's probably concerned"

"You think so?"

"I know so. Now c'mon, I'll walk you back to your room"

***

5am. The alarm went off, and instantly Bunny Briefs was awake. Beside her, her husband groaned and rolled over, burying his face even further into the pillow.

"Dear," she said, rubbing his shoulder, "wake up"

"It's far to early"

"Nonsense," Bunny scolded him, "today is your daughters wedding day, I will not have sleep right through it" with that, Bunny got up and pulled open the curtains, outside the sky was a beautiful blue, the perfect start to the perfect day.

Bunny walked out of the small bedroom and into the kitchen, where she boiled the kettle and pulled out an assortment of pots and pans. No bride could survive on an empty stomach. Before long, all the tantalizing smells wafting from the kitchen woke Bulma up. She wandered out to the main part of the house, still half asleep.

"Bulma!" her mother squealed, stopping what she was doing and rushing over to bombard her daughter with an onslaught of hugs and kisses.

"Mum, what are you doing?" Bulma asked, running her hand through her sleep tousled hair.

"Can't an overly proud mother kiss her own daughter on her wedding day?"

Bulma stopped dead in her tracks. Up until just then, she had totally forgotten, it was far to early to even be awake, let alone thinking. "Oh my god!" she burst out and jumped up and down suddenly wide awake, "It's today!"

Bunny had to laugh as she embraced her daughter again.

~

Half an hour later, the small family sat around their breakfast table enjoying just about every kind of breakfast food the planet had to offer.

Bulma could feel the proud eyes of her parents on her, it made her feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, Bunny got up and walked away, only to return seconds later holding a small box in her hands.

"Bulma, I just want you to know how proud I…how proud we are of you." She said, wiping tears from her face, "I wore this on my wedding day, I was always going to pass it down to Tammin, but I think she would be honored for you to wear it"

Taking the box off her mother, Bulma flipped the lid open, inside was a stunning hair clip made of silver with diamonds and crystals on it. Bulma felt her breath catch in her throat she looked down at the beautiful clip in shock. "Mum…" she stopped for a few seconds "are you sure you want me to have this?" she asked.

"Of course I am" she replied, her voice just oozing with pride

Looking up at her parents, Bulma smiled, "thank-you" she said whole heartedly, "I know that today is going to be just prefect"

***

"Vegeta man, calm down!" Krillen said with a wide grin as he patted his brother on the back, "You're gonna pace a hole in the floor if you don't give it a rest"

"That's easy for you to say" said Vegeta as he sunk into a chair and rested his chin in his hands, "your wedding day isn't going down the toilet"

"And neither is yours," reasoned Krillen, "you're just nervous"

"I am not"

Krillen sniggered and turned away so Vegeta wouldn't see him laughing, it didn't work though.

"Stop laughing, this is no laughing matter" Vegeta scolded him.

"Yes it is. I've never seen you like this, you're a nervous wreck and it's hilarious! You should see yourself"

"I'd really rather not"

The two boys were sitting in the front parlour of the palace, it was a room that had been decorated by their mother many years ago and all of her children regarded it as one of their favorite rooms in the entire palace. The wedding wasn't to take place for another 6 and a half hours. Bulma had most definitely not wanted a large wedding bombarded with photos, interviews and the press, and Vegeta had agreed, so they had decided on a small gathering of about 100 guests with the ceremony to be held outdoors in the lush palace gardens and the reception to take place out on one of the big palace patios.

"Isn't Chi-chi supposed to be here?" asked Krillen, sitting down next to his brother and running his hand through his hair. Vegeta exhaled and leaned back against the back of the couch, "I don't really care Krillen. I have no concern to where she is right now"

"It's probably for the best anyway"

"Probably"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until the door creaked open and the doorman stepped into the room, "they have arrived" he announced as he bowed to the two young Princes.

"Very well, show them through" Vegeta ordered.

A few more long minutes passes by, but eventually the door opened again and King Vegeta and Kahlia stepped through. Both Vegeta and Krillen stood to greet them.

"Sons!" the King threw his hands up in the air and loudly rejoiced the sight of his boys, "it has been to long"

"It's been 3 weeks father" Vegeta spat, he was less than impressed at his father's blatant lack of responsibility.

The King stepped back, obviously hurt by the harsh tone directed at him from his first-born child. Kahlia's hand found his and she gave it a gentle squeeze. She loved him, even if they didn't.

"Father, it's good to see you," Krillen said, stepping forward and holding out his hand, which the King shook, "you to Queen Kahlia"

"Please, just call me Kahlia, no need for formalities among friends"

Krillen shook his head, "If it's all the same to you, I'd really rather not"

"Oh," Kahlia blinked and numbly shook her head, "O…ok then, if you'd rather not"

Easily the King could see this was quickly turning into a very hostile environment, which was the last thing he wanted on his sons' big day.

"Vegeta," he smiled warmly at the boy in question, "lets not argue on today of all days. Kahlia and I are here to share this special day with you as your family, not to start an argument"

"Fine," Vegeta said, "it's good to see you both, please, make you self at home"

"Vegeta" he sighed.

"What?" Vegeta asked, his mood going from bad to worse, "I'm happy ok," he didn't sound at all convincing, "Now if you don't mind, I have a kingdom to run" he said, knowing full well it would hurt his father to hear it.

"I'm sorry, father" Krillen muttered as he chased his older brother out the room.

The King let out an exasperated sigh and sat himself down on the soft leather couch, a few seconds later Kahlia was by his side.

"I'm sorry" she said, taking his hand in hers.

"It's not your fault dear," he informed her.

"But I feel it is. I should have known your children would not accept us"

"No you shouldn't of. My boys will accept us in time, that I can assure you of, they are good men, they only need time to get over this latest news."

"And Chi-chi?" asked Kahlia.

The King said nothing for a very long time, "Chi-chi I am not so sure about. But lets not get worked up about that today," he said, putting on a smile and standing up, "today is a happy day. Today we celebrate the union of my son and Ms Briefs in holy matrimony!" he exclaimed.

Kahlia smiled brightly at him and stood up, "That's the spirit," she said, "What do you say we head upstairs and get ready?"

***

"Bianca" 18 cooed to her tiny niece. The little girl turned her head and looked up at 18 with a baby cute smile. 18 smiled and smoothed back Bianca's soft black hair.

"Tarie, you're so lucky" 18 thought out loud, she hadn't really intended on it actually coming out of her mouth though. 

Beside her, Tarie had to laugh, "If you're idea of lucky is dirty diapers, getting woken up at 3 a.m and sore boobs, than yeah, I'm the luckiest woman on the planet"

"Well if you look at it like that" scoffed 18, handing the baby back to her mother. She stood up and walked across to the bedroom door, where she began to pound on it

"17, hurry up!" she called.

"I'm not coming out" the reply came from the other side. Looking over her shoulder, 18 raised an amused eyebrow at Tarie, "and why not?" she asked

"Because I look like an absolute tool"

18 had to laugh; "Now now brother dear, I'm sure you don't look like an _absolute_ tool. Why don't you just open the door and let us have a look"

"I said no"

"Please" Tarie called

"No!"

"17, get you butt out here now!" 18 demanded, beginning to get agitated with her brother.

"You can't make me"

"No, but Vegeta breaking the door down and tearing your head from your shoulders can"

The door clicked open and 17 appeared in the doorway. 18 knew she had to stifle her laughter, or else her brother would go back into hiding and she would feel bad. But it was just so funny; that she couldn't help it when a spurt of laughter escaped from her tightly closed lips.

"That's it, I'm not doing this!" exclaimed 17 turning around and marching back into the bedroom.

"No 17, wait!" she said grabbing hold of 17's arm and pulling him back out the room.

"18, I feel so stupid" 17 groaned as he pulled from his sisters grip.

"You look stupid too!" Tarie called from the couch.

"Thanks a lot for your support sweetheart" 17 rolled his eyes and replied.

"Anytime," Tarie replied with a wink.

"Ok 17, it's time to get over it. You're not the only one who's going to be dressed like that, and besides it's Bulma's special day. After all she's done for you, I think you owe her this" 18 scolded him as she did up his bow tie.

"Fine," 17 reluctantly agreed. Looking down at his attire he groaned. He was well and truly convinced that he looked like a tool. Dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath and white shoes and worst of all, his hair back in a ponytail, he had never felt more stupid.

"I am so glad I do not have to participate in this" Tarie gloated from the other side of the room.

"Rub it in why don't you" 17 said with a scowl

"Aw, you look cute" she said, standing up and rocking her daughter gently in her arms.

18 looked down at her outfit and smiled wanly, at least hers wasn't so bad. A black skirt that fell to about halfway down her thighs and a short-sleeved white shirt, all toped of with a pair of black pumps. At least she didn't have to wear white shoes.

If it weren't for the stupid palace regulations that had been in place for hundreds of years, then she wouldn't be in this damn situation. The rules stated that as long as there were slaves in the palace and they were well enough to work, then they were expected to work. And since right now the kingdom didn't even have a King, there was no one to alter the rules, and even if there was, it would take many many weeks to pass it. It wasn't worth all the trouble for one day; they may as well just wear the stupid outfits for one day and be done with it.

Walking across the room, 17 kissed Tarie and scooped his daughter out of her arms. "Hello princess" he greeted her with a kiss on the forehead. Tarie watched on with a smile.

***

Krillen knocked on Vegetas bedroom door and waited. After a few minutes of nothing, he tried again. "Vegeta, hurry up"

"Alright!" came Vegeta's agitated reply from the other side of the door. Krillen sniggered as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. Then, out of nowhere, his vision disappeared.

"Wha!" he jumped at the sudden darkness "18, is that you?"

"Maybe it is" she replied

Krillen smiled and covered 18's soft hands with his own and removed them from his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning around to face her.

"Just passing through" she said.

"You look great"

18 raised an eyebrow, "Ok, if you insist" she said.

"You really do"

"Maybe you should look a little closer. This outfit is less than flattering. I look like a stick in a uniform. It's hardly an attractive look"

"Well hey, I'm biased. I think you'd look beautiful in a garbage bag"

18 smiled, she wanted to kiss him, but here in a hall full of people, it was hardly a smart idea. She would prefer that the rest of the palace didn't find out about them. Chi-chi would probably kill her.

"I have to go" she said, "there are guests waiting to be seated"

"Ok then babe. I'll see you later"

"Tell Vegeta I said good luck. Not that he'll need it"

~

"Good afternoon sir, may I show you to your seat?" 18 asked, smiling brightly at Kakkarot.

"Hi 18. Isn't this exciting?"

Behind them, Mr. and Mrs. Son exchanged confused looks, why was Kakkarot associating with the help?

"It's very exciting" 18 replied as she led all 5 members of the son family down the isle to the seats in the second row from the front. Directly in front of them, sat the Royal family themselves. Kakkarot gulped, he prayed that Chi-chi wouldn't try anything today; she wouldn't stoop so low as to ruin Bulma and Vegeta's special day. Would she?

"Ah Bardok, Neha, so glad you could make it" the King said turning around in his seat.

"We wouldn't miss it" replied Neha with a smile.

It was a beautiful day, the wedding was being held outside and the sky was a beautiful blue and big fluffy white clouds floated overhead. The temperature was neither to hot, not to cold, it was just perfect, everything was just perfect.

In her seat, Chi-chi seethed. How dare everything be so perfect? She asked herself. How dare all the attention be focused on her worthless older brother and ex best friend? Beside her, sat her father, and beside him, Kahlia. She had once looked up to that woman. Not that long ago, she had considered her one of her closest female companions, now she wanted her to die. It wasn't hard to see that she was the reason their father had left them, left his people and his home. It was all her fault their planet had gone in to total chaos until her brothers had finally managed to get it under control. Not that they knew what they were doing anyway – the pathetic excuses for Sayians they were.

Not her, she was a model Sayian. A warrior, focused entirely on becoming stronger and improving ones physique, none of this emotional garbage. She didn't need that, once she thought she needed it, she had been that shallow. But now, now she saw the bigger picture. She didn't need anyone or anything.

Suddenly a hush fell over the ground, looking over her shoulder, and directly past Kakkarot, she caught sight of her two brothers walking up the isle. To her surprise, Vegeta walked straight over to her.

"Can I speak with you?" he asked

Chi-chi had to stifle a laugh; he looked like such a moron dressed in a full black tuxedo, tails and all as well as a pale blue corsage in his breast pocket. "What?" she asked, standing up and stepping away from the crowd. Right now, she wanted to be anywhere but here.

Vegeta took a step closer to her, an unmistakable glint in his eyes, "If you try anything today," he hissed, keeping his voice down so no one else would hear, "and I mean anything. I won't hesitate to snap you in half. Is that clear?" he threatened

"Oooh I'm so scared. Big scary Vegeta is going to hurt me" she sarcastically spat back at him.

"Listen here. I'm warning you, don't screw this up. If not for me, than for Bulma" he said, then walked away.

Chi-chi slumped back down into her seat, crossed her arms over chest and scowled deeply.

~

18 stood at the end of the long strip of white carpet that was acting as an isle with Nison. He had a funny kind of look in his eyes and it was making her uncomfortable. She hoped it didn't show on her face.

"So" Nison began, then trailed off not really knowing what to say next.

"What Nison?" 18 asked, not even looking at him, she was to busy making eyes at Krillen and seeing how much he would blush.

"Nothing" he replied.

18 tore her gaze from Krillen and turned to look up at Nison. Why was he so damn tall? "What? You obviously wanted to say something, what was it?"

"Nothing, don't worry. I have to go" he said, and very quickly walked off.

She was going to call out to him, tell him that he was not supposed to walking away from his job and that the wedding was going to start in 5 short minutes. But she decided against it. If he wanted to get him self in trouble, who was she to stop him?

~

"How long now?" asked Vegeta as he bounced from one foot to the other. He was nervous and fidgeting was his was of venting his stress.

Krillen pushed up his jacket sleeve and glanced at his wristwatch, "5 minutes" he replied.

"Jesus" Vegeta muttered to himself. Everyone had arrived now, at people were quietly chatting amongst them selves, waiting for the big event to begin.

Turning to the priest, Vegeta asked, "Are you all ready to go?"

The older man dressed in a white robe nodded, "yes Prince Vegeta, I am ready. All we need now is Ms. Briefs"

"Vegeta, I should go sit down" said Krillen shoving his hands into his jacket pockets and looking past the crowd at 18.

"No" argued Vegeta.

Krillen turned back to face his oldest sibling with a raised eyebrow, "why not?" he asked

"Because I want you to stand here with me, just until Bulma gets here"

Krillen had to smile; his brother was nothing more than a big softie in a hard shell. "You're that nervous?" he asked.

"I'm not nervous" Vegeta exclaimed lamely

"How stupid do you think I am Vegeta?" Krillen asked, "besides, if you weren't nervous today, I would be wondering what was wrong" 

"Really?"

"Yes!" Krillen cried, "You're getting married today, if it were me, I'd be a nervous wreck!"

"You're a wimp" Vegeta sniggered.

"That's it! I'm sitting down"

~

"I don't think I can do this" Bulma fretted as she followed her mother down the empty palace halls. Mrs. Briefs stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face her daughter.

"Bulma, that is nonsense. Of course you can go through with this. You love Vegeta and he loves you."

"But…" Bulma begun but was cut off by Bunny 

"No buts dear. You are going to go and get married, trust me, it will be perfect"

The duo continued down the halls and out into the garden when Dr. Briefs was waiting. As soon as he laid eyes on his daughter, he lost his breath. She looked stunning.

Taking her in a tight hug, he held his daughter for the last time before he would hand her over to another man to love.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm, Bulma linked hers through his and together they continued towards the section of the garden where the ceremony was being held.

Bunny ran on ahead so she could take her seat and inform Vegeta his bride to be was about to arrive, which she did and several minutes later the wedding march began to play. Before Vegeta even laid eyes on Bulma he could have sworn his heart stopped beating, so when he actually did see her, he was sure he had just died.

He was oblivious to everything going on around him as he watched her walk up the isle, clinging tightly onto her fathers arm. She was dressed in a strapless white ball gown that fell all the way to the ground and trailed on behind her. An opaque veil hung in front of her face, hiding her immaculately done make up. Never in all of his years had Vegeta seen a more beautiful sight than what was in front of him right now.

Before he knew it, Bulma was standing beside him. For a spilt second what to do next escaped him, but it quickly came back to him. Taking her soft hand in his, he lead her a few steps forward where they stopped in front of the warmly smiling priest.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" he began

~

For Bulma the ceremony passed in a blur, her world solely consisted of herself and Vegeta. She remembered to respond in all the right places but all she could really concentrate on was her hand wrapped tightly in Vegeta's.

Before she knew it, it was time to recite her vows. She repeated after the priest. "I Bulma, take Vegeta to be my lawfully wedded husband through sickness and in health, for richer or poorer and better or worse till death do us part" she looked Vegeta in the eyes as she spoke those most precious words, and noticed that they were shiny with tears, and in that moment, she had never loved Vegeta more than she did then.

She listened intently as he recited the same thing back to her, there was no traces of worry or doubt what so ever in his voice, he was sure about what he was doing and that made the sick feeling in Bulma's stomach just disappear. She knew she was doing the right thing now, nothing would change her mind.

"Would the rings please be presented?" asked the priest. Krillen took that as his cue and stood up, he produced 2 velvet boxes from his pocket and handed one to Bulma and the other to Vegeta.

"Vegeta, would you please repeat after me?" the priest prompted. "With this ring I thee wed"

"With this ring I thee wed," repeated Vegeta as he slipped the ring onto Bulma's dainty finger, it was a perfect fit and Bulma couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes.

Bulma repeated the same thing as she to slipped the ring onto Vegeta finger.

"Is there anyone who can see any good reason why these two should not be wed?" the priest asked the audience. Immediately, Bulma and Vegeta's heads snapped around to glare at Chi-chi, she only glared right back, but still kept her mouth shut.

"Well then, if no one can see any reason why this couple should not be joined together in holy matrimony," he stopped and looked directly at Bulma and Vegeta "I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

Bulma felt an overwhelming joy spread through her upon hearing those words and a huge smile broke out onto her face.

"You may kiss the bride"

Turning to face his new wife, Vegeta lifted back the veil, took Bulma's face in his hands and kissed her. Their first kiss as a married couple, and it was amazing. Everyone who was present got to their feet and clapped for the newly weds. When they eventually did pull away from each other and turn to face their happy guests, Bulma couldn't help jumping up and down like an excited schoolgirl. She was married to the man of her dreams, except this wasn't a dream, this was reality and it was the best reality she had experienced in a long time.

Slowly, they made their way down the isle, Vegeta shaking hands with everyone he went past, accepting their congratulations and well wishes with a smile. Bulma on the other hand, threw her arms around the neck of every person she came across, she felt like she was about to burst from pure joy.

Before long, it was her turn to greet King Vegeta.

"Bulma, you look stunning" he praised her.

Bulma didn't know exactly what to say, did she call him King or not, was he even the King anymore?

She opened her mouth to say something, what she wasn't exactly sure. But her new husband saved her. He came up behind her and greeted his father for her, "Father, glad you could make it" he said with a nod. Bulma got the feeling he didn't mean it. She knew nothing of the little meeting they had shared earlier that morning.

The King noticed the neither Bulma nor Vegeta were paying any attention to either him or Kahlia. Just making eyes at each other, so it was no surprise that neither of them noticed when they left.

"Woman, you look stunning" Vegeta complimented her.

"I'm not your woman Vegeta, I'm your wife" she smiled brightly upon saying those words.

Vegeta smiled as well, "That you are"

***

"That was so romantic" 18 said turning to face her brother.

17 only shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose so"

18 thumped him.

Today was shaping out to be a great day, even though she was working it wasn't so bad, things could have been worse. Bulma had gone to extreme lengths to make sure this day was as easy on the slaves as possible. All they had to do was wait on table during the reception and clean up afterwards. Compared to their usual days work, it was easy. 18 looked up from the doorway where she was standing. Guest were just beginning to file out on to the big and very elegantly decorated balcony, where Nison – among others, were showing them to their seats.

Someone coming up beside her caught her attention and she turned to face the new arrival.

"Hi Sachi. How you going with all this?" she asked.

"I'm totally lost! I have no idea where the hell I am meant to be!"

18 had to laugh, she remembered her first 'event' it was Chi-chi's 20th birthday, gosh, she must have served at least 30 things since then!

"Alright, come with me. I'll show you"

She led Sachi around the big open balcony, giving her a quick rundown of everything she could remember to tell her. "Now, when ever you are serving someone, always stand to the left of them, it's impolite and people often get confused. Don't ask people if they would like their drink refilled until everyone on the table has finished which ever course is being served, but if someone requests you refill their cup, do it. Always thank sir or madam after you have served them, and walked away silently. Don't make eye contact with the guest and don't watch them eat! I can't possibly stress that enough"

Sachi's eyes grew wide, how was she meant to remember all of this?! "Is that it?" she asked, "all I need to know?"

18 grinned and placed her hand on her young friends shoulder, "not by a long shot, but it'll do for now. If you need any help, I'll either be out here or in the kitchen. Don't hesitate to come find me"

"Thanks 18. I appreciate that" she said, her tail swinging back and fourth behind her as she spoke. It caught 18's attention and jolted her mind to another thing Sachi needed to know.

"Oh yeah," she said, grabbing hold of Sachi's tail "Wrap this around you waist unless you want it pulled off!"

The younger girl raised an eyebrow "That what happened to yours?" she asked slyly, having no idea as to the painful origin of 18's tail or lack there of.

"Hey, sis" 18 turned around hearing 17 calling her.

"Yeah?" she asked, reaching up and brushing some dust off his jacket "What's up?"

"Where is the Son family sitting? You seem to know everything there is to know about them, and I can't find their table anywhere"

18 rolled her eyes and looked towards the entrance to the balcony where sure enough Kakkarot and his family were standing patiently. "I'll go" she said wondering to herself why it was that men couldn't do anything.

"Welcome," she greeted them with a smile, "Would you please sign the guest book for the happy couple, then I shall show you to your seats"

"So 18, you having fun?" asked Kakkarot

"What do you think?" 18 replied bluntly as she lead Kakkarot to a table that had been reserved just for his family. She watched on with an amused smirk as he pulled a chair out for his mother and pushed it in for her. She wanted to tell him how much of a suck he was, but it would have been highly inappropriate.

"If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call" 18 informed the Sons' then turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen.

~

Chi-chi followed her bother, father and Kahlia – to a table almost right at the front of the room, just to the right of the dance floor. Soft, soothing music filled the air and the blue sky was beginning to turn beautiful oranges and pinks at the sun begun to set. Since the royal family was among some of the last to arrive, Chi-chi felt many pairs of eyes on her as she made her way to her seat.

They were all looking at her, she could feel them. All with their questioning glares, she did not have to answer to any of them; they had no right to even look at her. She was so much better that everyone in this room.

Especially him…

Kakkarot's family was seated directly opposite Chi-chi's family, but on the other side of the dance floor. From her seat, she had a perfect view of his stupidly happy face. Or a prefect aim at his head. Why was he smiling like that? What could he possibly be so happy about? He must have been discussing something funny with Turles because all of a sudden, he burst out laughing, several groups of people lifted their heads to see what all the commotions was, but quickly realized it was nothing and went back to the business.

Chi-chi continued her study of her ex. What had she ever seen in him? What had she ever seen in the whole idea of needing to feel loved? Love was highly over rated. Here right now, was the perfect example. She had to sit through a long boring ceremony listing to two people blabbing on about eternal bonds through sickness and health. Now here she was, having to pretend she actually gave a damn about if her brother was happy or not.

Blinking, she noticed the intent glare her father was giving her, but she chose to ignore it. She no longer considered that man a part of her life. He had left her and his people all because of this love shit. He had given up on years and years of Sayian pride and heritage for a woman that was at least 10 years younger than him, if not more. Once again, proof of how useless love was and how much it can screw you around.

Across the table, Krillen looked at his watch, then jumping out of his chair, realized he was late. He was going to be acting as the MC for the night's proceedings and his first job was to introduce the happy couple. If they had arrived yet that was.

Stepping inside off the balcony, he looked around and sure enough, there was his brother and his new wife pressed up against the wall locked in a deep kiss. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Krillen cleared his throat, effectively getting their attention.

"Congratulations guys!" he said with a smile. Wrapping her hands around Vegeta's neck, Bulma looked back at her friend, she was grinning from ear to ear, "Thanks Krillen" she replied.

"You ready to go outside?" he asked.

"No" Vegeta retorted as he tried to pull his bowtie loose, the damn thing felt like it was choking him. Bulma slapped his hand away though. "We're ready Krillen"

Walking back out onto the balcony, Vegeta walked to what had been dubbed the 'front' and adjusted the microphone stand to his height. Tapping the mic to make sure it was working, he waited until he had everyone's full attention before her begun. "Hello everyone, thank you all for joining us here tonight, I'm sure you all know me, Krillen and I'll be MCing here tonight. Now, without any further ado, may I be the first to introduce the newest couple to out family, my brother Vegeta and his new wife Bulma!"

Bulma and Vegeta walked hand in hand out onto the balcony to a standing ovation. Even Vegeta couldn't help breaking his usual rule of an emotionless façade by wearing a smile on his face. They arrived at a table especially for them where Vegeta helped his bride sit down then took the microphone off his younger brother to say a few words.

"Bulma and I would just like to thank you all for being here today, it really means a lot to us" he tired desperately to remember the speech Bulma had written him, he wasn't really the type to bother with this sentimental stuff, but the woman had insisted, "we hope that you will find this evening enjoyable and remember it for many years to come" he said, then sat down next to Bulma again

Conversations resumed throughout the gathering, almost all the woman commenting on how beautiful Bulma looked in that _very_ expensive gown. She must have been the envy of every woman there, she looked like a princess – which now she rightfully was, who was married to the ultimate prince charming who would love and protect her in his own special way forever and ever. And Vegeta had to be the envy of every single man on the balcony, he had married one of the most beautiful, smart, perky woman on the planet and she would surely bring him many years of happiness.

~

As the night progressed, 18 found herself spending less time working, and more time standing in the corner of the room with Krillen. No one knew Krillen even knew who 18 was, let alone was deeply in love with her. So for the King, watching his youngest son flirt like crazy with the pretty blond woman came as a complete shock. Was it only innocent flirting? Was he trying to lead her on? Or was he genuinely interested in her?

The King was about to intervene, but the cool calmness of Kahlia stepped in, stopping him from doing something he would regret later. God knew he didn't need to push his kids any further away.

"Vegeta, leave him be. He's a grown boy"

"I know, but…she is not of his class, it goes against all Sayian laws"

"Does it not also go against Sayian laws to love outside your race?"

He stopped, perfectly unable to argue with that. "But Kahlia, my dear-" Kahlia cut him off

"But nothing. Leave him. You'll only embarrass him and he'll shut you out even more."

Across the table, Chi-chi also saw what was going on. Her mouth hung open in shock, how had this gone on right under her nose, and for how long had it been going on? This was not acceptable, and she would not tolerate it. Just because her services had not been required as of late, did not change the fact that Chi-chi still owned 18. She was merely her possession, and Chi-chi would not allow others to touch what belonged to her.

Pushing herself up from the table, she stalked across the room, cutting right through the many happy couples on the dance floor, in order to get to Krillen and 18 as quickly as possible. Her little rampage quickly caught the attention of 3 men in the room, who all looked at each other, then back to Chi-chi to see what she would do next.

18 didn't even notice Chi-chi storming towards her until it was far to late, she only just had time to shove Krillen out of the way of his irate sisters fist. Once he realized what was going on though, he quickly jumped into action.

"Chi-chi, what are you doing?" he demanded quietly, jumping in between his sister and 18.

"How. Dare. You" she hissed at him, "how dare you lay your filthy hands on my property. 18 belongs to me!"

"18 does not belong to anyone. Go sit down Chi-chi."

"How dare you tell me what to do!"

Suddenly, a 3rd person entered into the argument, one that no one wanted to mess with.

"Chi-chi. Get your ass back in your friggen seat and don't mess with me"

Even Chi-chi gulped at the deadly tone in her older brothers voice. "Y-you can't make me" she chocked out.

"Wanna bet?" he threatened taking a step towards her.

"You wouldn't dare hit me"

Krillen felt behind him but 18 was gone, she must have snuck off while no one was paying attention to her. He always knew she was a smart one.

"Vegeta…" Krillen tried to get his older brothers attention, "Vegeta are you listening to me?"

"What Krillen?" he asked, never taking his eyes off his more than irritating sister

"Don't start something bro, this is your wedding day" he said, the tone in his voice clearly warning Vegeta not to do anything stupid.

Taking a deep breath, Vegeta backed down from Chi-chi "You're right Krillen, I'm not going to reduce myself to that level. Unlike you Chi-chi, I actually have some self respect"

Chi-chi didn't reply, she was using different tactics to intimidate her older brother, staring him down with her dark eyes. It however, didn't seem to be working, because he only retaliated with an even more icy glare. 

Krillen sighed deeply, his sibling were acting like 2 year olds, that's why Krillen was somewhat relieved when he noticed his father and Kahlia walking across the balcony, perhaps they would be able to sort those two out.

~

"Hey, 18" Bulma called out, waving to her friend who was currently busing a table. She quickly finished up her job, and then came over to the table where Bulma was sitting.

"What are you doing sitting all alone on your wedding day?" she asked, shaking her head.

Bulma shrugged her shoulder, "I was hoping you could tell me" she said pointing across the room, "Do you know what's going on over there?"

18 looked over her shoulder where she saw the King, his 3 children and Kahlia standing near the door, then – they all headed inside the building. Looking back to Bulma, 18 too, shrugged. "I have no clue?"

"Sit down" Bulma offered, patting the seat where Vegeta has been sitting.

18 accepted the offer; glad to be off her feet for a few minutes. "You look so beautiful"

Bulma blushed, "aw thanks. I'm sure when you and Krillen get married you'll look a whole lot better though"

"Yeah right," 18 sniggered "somehow I can't see Krillen wanting to marry me"

"Why not?"

18 didn't answer, instead she completely changed the subject "so, how's it feel to be a princess?"

Bulma was quite for a few minutes before she replied, "Oh my god," she sounded worried.

"What?"

"Chi-chi is my sister-in-law!"

~

"What do you want father?" Vegeta asked, "I'd like to get back outside"

"Kahlia and I would like to speak with you"

"Why'd you leave us papa?" asked Chi-chi, sounding like a 10 year old, "Why'd you leave me?"

"We didn't leave you dear" replied the King

"What are you talking about? For once the wench is actually right. That's exactly what you did. You left us with no idea where the hell you had gone, no clue as to when or even if you planned on coming back and absolutely no warning that we were going to need to be running the whole god damn kingdom!" Vegeta said, raising his voice considerably in his rage.

"Calm down, Vegeta"

"Why should I?"

"Vegeta, please" Kahlia pleaded.

He flashed her a why-should-I-listen-to-you glare, but still, said no more. He knew better than to speak back to a lady, unless of course she was his sister.

"Please, can we stop bickering? This is important" the King pleaded with his children.

"Fine, whatever" Vegeta replied nonchalantly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"Go ahead" offered Krillen, as usual acting as the member of the family that actually though before they opened their mouth.

"Kahlia and I…." He trailed off thought about it, then started again. "I'm sure you can all figure out where I have been these past 3 weeks. But I'm not sure you understand why I've been there"

"We weren't born yesterday. It doesn't take a genius to work out that you left us because you're screwing her" Chi-chi sneered.

Kahlia flinched at the harsh words and a look of white-hot rage spread across the Kings face.

"Chi-chi! I will not have you talk about either Kahlia or myself in such a way! Is that absolutely clear?!"

"Don't you think for a second that you can tell me what I can and cannot do"

"Chi, I am your father, I own you! Now you will either clean up your act, or I will do something you will live to regret!" he boomed, his cheeks turning red.

"Vegeta, calm down, please you'll make yourself sick" Kahlia warned him, talking hold if his hand and stepping close to him. She then directed her attention to Vegeta, Chi-chi and Krillen. "Now, if you don't mind, you father was trying to tell you something.

"Yes, well, I was hoping you would all be able to take this news like the mature adults you are, but it seems that you are not going to like what I have to say so I'll just get it over with. Kahlia and I have married" he announced.

There was a stunned silence from the 3 children; it was Krillen who found his voice first, "What?" he asked, sounding absolutely stunned, "You're kidding right?"

"No, he is not kidding" Kahlia replied, sounding very unimpressed at the children's attitudes

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Vegeta, he pain in his voice obvious, he hadn't released that his father was ready to move on from their mother knew. God knew he wasn't.

"I'll admit, my plan wasn't as well thought out as it should be, and for that I am sorry. But I am not sorry for what I did. I believe in my heart that I have done the right thing, and I know that in time, you will come to believe that to"

"So, are you coming back to Vegeta-sei?" Krillen asked, keeping his gaze intently fixed on the floor. If he had of looked up, he would have seen his father shaking his head, "I'm afraid not, I'm making planet Bindoon my permanent residence from now on"

"You can't do that!" Protested Vegeta, fire burning in his eyes as he spoke "Who the hell is going to run the planet?"

"I was hoping I could speak to you about that, son"

Vegeta knew where this was going, and he refused. "No. No way in hell am I taking over that job! Get Nappa to do it, because I refuse. I am not being the King!"

"Son.." he started

"Don't you son me," Vegeta snarled, "you gave up that right when you left us. Now if you don't mind, I'll be getting back to my wife"

"I'm outta here," Chi-chi muttered, walking off down the hall, undoubtedly to lock herself in her room for another 3 weeks.

That left, the King, Kahlia and Krillen. It was a very awkward and uncomfortable silence, it was Krillen who spoke first, "Sorry about that, you know what those two are like. Vegeta will calm down, let Bulma talk to him first before you try again though" he said, then headed back out to the party.

The King shook his head and rubbed his temple, "I'm sorry you had to see that, dear" he apologized to Kahlia.

"It had to come out eventually. It could of gone worse"

"I doubt it. My children hate me!"

"They don't hate you. They are hurt and confused. Give them time"

"I don't know what to do"

"How about we just go outside, site down, and enjoy your sons wedding day"

A small smile tinged the Kings depressed features as he took Kahlia into a brief embrace. "Sound like a plan to me"

***

A/N: Well, what did you all think? A review would be very much appreciated. I really hope you all enjoy these last few chapters of the story, as I'm working as hard as I can to make them special for you all. Please please please tell me what you think and I'll have the next chapter out soon ok!

~D.B


	44. Tempting Fate

Disclaimer; Still don't own it, sorry

A/N; Well, here is the next installment of A.T.Y.K. Something tell me that this might be the chapter you have all been waiting for, why you ask? Well, read on to find out! I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter, because I've been working really hard on it! ~D.B

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 43**

"Vegeta, are you in there?" Krillen called, knocking lightly on the door to the sitting room.

"Go away" came the reply from the other side.

Sighing to himself, Krillen pushed open the door and walked in. "Vegeta, you are acting like a child"

He didn't reply.

"Listen, you need to drop the grudge against father and give him a straight answer. Tell him why you don't want to be King. He can't understand it without your help"

"The last thing I want to do is help him"

Krillen raked his hands through his hair, not really knowing what to do about the current situation. When he did speak, his voice was so serious that Vegeta had no choice but to listen. "Vegeta, you can't leave it like this. Father is leaving tomorrow, and you need to sort this whole thing out before then. You are a grown man and you need to start acting like one. Just talk to him ok. Sit down and tell him exactly what you're feeling. You'll be a bigger man because of it"

"That's easy for you to say. You're not faced with the prospect of being King"

"You wanna know what I think?"

"No"

"I honestly don't think being King would be all that bad" said Krillen, then left his big brother to his thoughts.

After about 5 or so minutes of walking around the palace, he came across Bulma.

"Krillen, thank god I found you. Every one around here seems to have vanished"

Krillen chuckled "No, not vanished, just hiding really well. What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen my husband anywhere? We haven't even been married for 48 hours and he's already hiding from me"

"Yeah, he's in the sitting room. Maybe you can clear his head up"

"He's still going on about that King thing?"

Krillen slowly nodded and Bulma rolled her eyes. "Honestly, he needs to get over it. I'll go talk to him. Thanks Krillen, tell 18 I said hi when you see her"

"Will do" Krillen agreed then continued on his stroll.

***

"17…" a soothing voice calling his name filed his ears.

In reply, he rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head.

"17 it's almost 11am, get up" Tarie ordered, her voice much more demanding than before.

"Babe," he groaned "5 more minutes"

"You said that 20 minutes ago"

"Fine," 17 gave in, and rolled over onto his back. Looking up at Tarie, he flashed her a big smile.

Tarie rolled her eyes, then picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Get up" she said with a grin.

A few minutes later, 17 walked out into the living room, still half asleep and running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. "Morning" he muttered.

"Only just" Tarie informed him, pointing up at the clock.

Walking across the room, he took her small frame in a tight embrace and kissed neck. Eliciting a shrill cry of laughter from Tarie's lips. "Forgive me?" 17 asked, his lips gently brushing up against her own.

"Well," she mused out loud, "just this once. No more sleeping in though," she warned

He flipped her a playful salute. "Yes ma'am" he said. Untangling himself from his beloved Tarie, he pulled open the fridge door and stuck his head inside. "There's nothing to eat" he cried after a few minutes of searching, "only jars and jars of baby food"

"Well you're just going to have to go hungry until Bulma brings us some food this afternoon, aren't you" Tarie informed him.

"Well, I could go see 18, she's always getting food from somewhere," 17 thought aloud, "Yet she never seems to put on any weight"

"Um, 17. Did you ever stop to think that perhaps it is Krillen supplying her with food?" Tarie asked. Sarcastically stating the obvious.

17 was silent for a few minutes, then as he realized he was beat he said "Shut up!"

Tarie only laughed. "Fine, go and see your sister. Tell her I said hi"

"Will do" agreed 17, and he left.

~

As he wandered down the hall, he spotted Chi-chi up in the distance. Even from here 17 could tell she looked like shit. She was yelling something, but by the time the sound echoed down the long corridor, it was so contorted that it just sounded like muffled screaming.

But before he got there, Chi-chi disappeared around a corner further up the hall and he was left wondering what she had been so irate about this time.

He soon arrived at Krillens bedroom door, gently knocking a few times, he stepped back and waited. After several minutes of waiting, 17 heard noised from the other side of the door and then it swung open and he saw his sister.

"17, what are you doing here?" 18 sounded surprised

"Am I not allowed to visit my own sister?"

18 smiled at him, "of course you are. Please, come in" she said.

Stepping into the room, 17's eyes did a quick scan. "Where Krillen?" he asked

"Shower" 18 replied busing herself by making the bed.

"Need any help?" asked 17

"No, I'm fine" 18 moved from the bed and pulled open the curtains, revealing a beautiful blue sky outside. "So," she said "what brings you here?"

"Just dropping in. This Kingdom is screwed up, I haven't done anything in 5 days now"

"You know why right?" 18 asked her brother, raising an eyebrow.

"No, why?"

"Well, it's the Kings duty to sign the forms each week to…you know…make our work…official. And what don't we have right now?"

"A King" 17 said with a grin as it all came together, "Well, that makes sense"

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Krillen emerged with nothing but a towel covering his lower half. 17 very quickly averted his eyes out the window and 18 couldn't help laughing watching the many shades of red that graced Krillens face.

"Maybe you should get changed in the bathroom" she suggested

Krillen mumbled something to her as he quickly gathered some clothes from the wardrobe then disappeared back into the bathroom.

"He's so cute" 18 said to her brother once Krillen had gone to get changed

"So, how long till you two tie the knot?"

18 gave 17 a funny look, "Somehow I can't see that happening. I highly doubt Krillen would want to spend his life with someone like me"

"Why not?"

"Look at me. Krillen could have anyone he wanted, why would he want to get stuck with a slave?"

"Are you nuts 18? He is crazy about you. Everyone can clearly see that"

"Really?"

17 sighed and shook his head. "Why don't you ask him yourself? I have to go"

18 watched her brother leave the room, then turned to look at Krillen, who was now dressed, but still his cheeks were a little flustered.

"Well?" she asked

"Well what?" Krillen repeated. Dropping the towel he was holding to the floor

"Are you crazy about me?"

Walking across the room, he took her in his arms and squeezed her tight "You better believe it baby"

18 smiled and kissed him.

"In fact…" Krillen said, his eyes shining with glee.

"In fact, what?"

"Wait a little longer and then you'll know," he said pulling her close again.

"Know what?" she asked

"It's a surprise"

"I hate surprises"

 ***

"Vegeta, dear" Kahlia walked across the large bedroom holding a night gown in her hand, "Please, cheer up"

"Cheer up? Kahlia, my love. My planet is in shambles. How can I possibly cheer up?"

"Perhaps you could start by talking to your son. I bet you'll find he needs it just as much as you do"

"My son does not want to speak to me. I have failed him both as a father and a King"

"I'm willing to bet he disagrees with that"

"No," the King shook his head sadly, "he agrees"

Blowing out her breath in an exasperated sigh, Kahlia spun around and walked back across the room, where she disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door shut hard behind her.

The sudden noise shocked the King and made him jump. Turning to find out why his wife had suddenly lost her cool, he followed her tracks across the room and gently tapped on the now shut and locked bathroom door.

"Kahlia, dear, what's the matter?"

"You are the matter!" she hissed back.

The King was slightly taken aback; he would never understand females and their hormones – one second they were showering you with affection and the next they were ready to rip your head off. It frustrated him no end.

"What did I do?" he asked, "Come out we'll talk about it"

"I'm not the one you need to be talking to" came the annoyed response from the other side of the door.

Then it all clicked. Kahlia was mad at him for not even attempting to smooth things over with his children before he left. But really, what could she expect from him, some kind of miracle he could never pull off anyway. Krillen, well he was the understanding, most mature one – even if he was the youngest – of the group. Chi-chi, she was a lost cause, the King made a note to himself then to ring up someone today and organize to get Chi-chi some professional help before he left. And Vegeta, well Vegeta didn't want to know him from a bar of soap. But still, for Kahlia, he was willing to try and reconcile.

"Alright, I'll talk to them if you come out of there"

A few seconds later the door was unlocked and Kahlia stepped out, wearing a victorious grin on her face.

***

Bulma rubbed at her sore sleepy eyes and sighed. Here she was, she had been married for approximately 32 hours and she was back at work! She should be honeymooning at Vegeta-sei's most luxurious resort. But no! Vegeta had things to sort out with his father and she had to work. It was never ending. Looking at the little clock in the corner of her computer screen, she groaned. It was only 20 past 2. Was this day ever going to end?

Unfortunately for Bulma it was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better, because at precisely that moment the door was pushed open and her ex best friend came strolling in. Rolling her eyes, Bulma leaned back in her chair and watched Chi-chi advance across the room.

"Are you happy?" she sneered, leaning over Bulma's big desk.

Bulma flashed her a cocky grin, "Yes, quite thank you" she replied.

"Well then, I'm just here to inform you that I'm about to make your life a living hell. Just because we are related now, doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to be all lovey-dovey with you."

"Chi-chi, do you honestly think I expected any thing less from you. Believe me, when I married into this family, I was well aware of everything I was going to have to take from you. But I don't care. I don't care what you say to me, or do to me, because if you try anything – and I mean anything" she spoke in a deadly tone and flashed Chi-chi a glare to match, "Vegeta will be on to you in a second" 

Chi-chi's lips rose up in a twisted grin, "Vegeta?" she asked, "What can't you fight for yourself? You need to hid behind my brother?"

"My husband" Bulma informed her.

"Yeah whatever, like I care. I'm only here to tell you to watch it. You've taken something away from me Bulma. Something I wanted very badly. So now, I'm going to take something precious away from you"

Bulma didn't back down, she wasn't scared of Chi-chi – she wasn't mentally sound and she hadn't been for a long time now. In fact, Bulma suspected that this whole thing had started back when Lumie had died, almost 9 years ago. That Chi-chi had never really gotten over the pain of losing her mother and found hurting others as a suitable way to vent her anger. Then, Kakkarot leaving her pushed her over the edge, took from her whatever morsel of sanity she had been holding onto for all those years. "I'm not scared of you Chi-chi," said Bulma slowly, "You cant hurt me"

"Bulma, you took from me the once chance I had to be Queen – the one thing I had left. You're next in line now, and that makes me very unhappy. And I don't like being unhappy, so now, I am going to have to eradicate the cause of my un-happiness" 

"I'm not scared of you and I never will be" Bulma repeated her self, standing up to be eye level with Chi-chi.

"You say your not scared of me," she paused for a few seconds and chuckled to herself, "and when I get through with you, there will be nothing left of you to be scared." With that, she turned and walked away, purposely knocking a beaker off the counter and sending it crashing to the ground on the way out.

Bulma swore to herself as she leaped out of her chair and dived towards the mess on the floor. "Damn it" she muttered angrily as she reached for some paper towel to clean the thick clear liquid off the floor. That formula had taken 19 hours to come up with and another 10 hours to make. That was over a whole day of work down the drain.

"Screw you Chi-chi" Bulma said to herself as she wiped up the mess, "I don't care if you're crazy or not. Enough is enough"

***

"Vegeta?" called the King as he walked into the throne room. It was an odd sensation, and although it had only been 3 weeks since he had been in here last, it felt more like 3 lifetimes had passed.

"I don't have time for you father, can't you see I'm very busy"

The King raised an eyebrow, the throne room was dead and Vegeta was sitting perched comfortably in the throne reading a newspaper.

"You don't look busy to me"

Looking over the top of the newspaper, Vegeta shot his father a nasty glare "alright, I just don't want to talk to you"

"You can't keep up this attitude Vegeta"

"Wanna bet? I can be bitter just as long as you"

"Vegeta please, we need to talk" the King approached his son and gently pried the newspaper from his hands, he didn't protest.

"Fine, if it will get you off my back, you have 10 minutes."

A thankful smile washed over the Kings face. "You love your wife don't you?" he asked

Vegeta didn't see what that had to do with anything, but still, he replied, "With all of my heart"

"And you want to provide for her as best you can?"

"Of course"

"Well then, you can see where I am coming from. I love my wife, and I want to provide for her as best I can. And Vegeta-sei is not where I can do that"

"That doesn't justify what you did to us"

"I know son, believe me, I know. I realize that what I did was less than wise and far from noble, I was acting out of love, and I still believe that even though I didn't go about it the right way, I did the right thing."

"Funny, to me, leaving your children with no idea where you were or even if you were alive, doesn't seem like the right thing to do" he said bitterly.

"Vegeta" the King begged.

"We didn't even know you were seeing her. Then you show up an announced you got married to her. Father, how in the hell did you expect us to react? Did you honestly expect us to openly accept the fact that you went off and married another woman besides our mother?"

"Don't you dare bring your mother into this" snarled the King. Though he quickly forced his rage away by taking a few deep breaths closing his eyes.

"Vegeta," he spoke again, his voice taking one a much calmer tone this time. "You are doing an excellent job here"

"It will suffice until you can find a suitable replacement for your position"

"Vegeta, this is the role you were born to play. You were born into royalty, you were always destined to take the throne some day"

"I'm not doing it" Vegeta firmly stood his ground

"Think of everything you will gain. The respect, the nobility"

"Father, I defeated Frieza, how much more respect could I possibly want?"

"Tell me son, what is it about the title of King that is so unattractive to you?"

"Nothing"

"Excuse me?"

"It's not the title, it's the responsibility. I don't want to be like you" Vegeta knew it sounded harsh, but it was the truth.

"What?" the King asked, "What do you mean?"

"Father, we grew up hardly knowing you. We were raised by nannies, teachers and personal trainers, not by our own father. When I have children of my own, I don't want them to be raised by strangers, to grow up knowing their parents only as King and Queen. Can't you see where I'm coming from?"

The King blinked slowly. He had never ever though of it like that. Had never thought of how his job had effected the way his children had grown up. He had always thought he had given his children the best childhood anyone could possibly ask for, when in actual fact, they had all been miserable. All the toys, training, education he had given them, was not what they had wanted at all, all they had wanted was a dad who made time to acknowledge they existed.

"I…I never thought of it like that, son"

"I thought as much"

"That doesn't resolve the main issue though. This planet still doesn't have a King"

A thoughtful smile formed on Vegeta's lips, he was having an idea, a great idea. "I might be able to do something about that" he said.

"Really? What?"

"I'm not taking over the position of King. I think I might be able to find someone who will at least consider it though" Vegeta said, standing up and walking towards the door. Leaving his father standing behind in the empty throne room.

***

It had been a beautiful day, and just as Krillen had hoped it would, it had become a beautiful night. The stars sparkled a million different shades of silver in the sky illuminated everything around them. He didn't care if he knew the mechanics of the stars, from here they were nothing more than magic, and he prayed that tonight a little bit of their magic would rub off on him.

Pulling open the glass doors, Krillen stepped out onto his balcony and deeply inhaled the night sky. He walked a small circle around the table that he had set up on the balcony earlier that day, scrutinizing over every tiny little detail, he wanted everything to be just perfect. Walking across the balcony, he rested his arms on the banister and looked down at the grounds below. Everything looked so much different in the dark, so much more whimsical.

"What's going on here?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.

Turning around, a bright smile settled on Krillens face, "I was wondering how much longer you were going to be. Come here"

18 walked over to Krillen, and rested herself beside him. He put an arm across her shoulders and held her close. They were quiet for some time, just looking out at the palace grounds below them, watching the silver glow of the stars shimmer off the reflection of the lake. It was Krillen who spoke up first.

"Are you hungry?" he asked

18 nodded, "I suppose so" she replied

"Well, then, lets eat"

A few minutes later, they were both seated at the small table, enjoying a beautiful meal that had been prepared just for them.

"This is beautiful Krillen. You've gone to so much effort" 18 sounded amazed.

"You know I'd do anything for you babe"

18 tilted her head and smiled warmly at him, "What did I do to deserve you?" she asked.

Krillen blinked. "What?" he asked.

"How did someone like me, end up with someone as amazing as you?" she repeated her question

"18, sweetheart, I think you've gotten yourself mixed up. The real question is what did I do to deserve you?"

18 cast her gaze to the floor. She felt ashamed. Why? She was not sure. But it was a feeling that almost always nagged in the back of her mind. The constant thought that plagued her mind. What was she doing with Krillen, how long did she actually expect the game to last? How long would it be until Krillen woke up to himself and realized he could do so much better than her?

18 tuned back in to realize that Krillen was calling her name and staring intently into her icy blue eyes.

"Yeah?" she asked quietly, her eyes still had the strange glazed over look to them.

"What's wrong?" Krillen asked.

"Nothing" she replied with a smile.

"You sure about that?" he asked quizzically

"Yes I'm sure"

Krillen flashed her a bright smile and patted his lap, "come sit over here" he said

18 shook her head and chuckled, but still, she stood up, walked around the table and sat down in Krillens lap. He wrapped his arms around her impossibly small waist and sighed deeply.

"What's up?" she asked, as she leaned back, pressing her back against his stomach and tilting her head back until it came to rest on his shoulder.

He kissed her cheek and smiled, "I love you 18" 18 bit down on her lower lips, she loved hearing him say that, it made her whole body tingle with an odd sensation that she just couldn't get enough of.

"I love you to, Krillen" she replied softly.

18," Krillen paused for a few minutes as he collected his thoughts, "there is something I want to ask you"

"Ok, go ahead" she said, closing her eyes and listening to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat.

"18, I think – well, I hope, that you know how much I care about you. You're on my mind 24 hours a day and I never want the feelings I have when I'm with you to end…" he trailed off for a few minutes.

18 opened her eyes, a look of absolute shock on her face. Was this going where she thought it was going?

"Well, anyway, 18 would you please make me the happiest man on the planet and do my the honor of becoming my wife?"

"What?" 18 sat up straight and twisted around on Krillens lap so she was facing him. "Are you crazy?"

Krillen looked like he had just been stabbed in the heart, and it killed 18 to see him hurt like that, but she had to do it. "I can't marry you" she said, sounding totally over whelmed.

"W-w-what? Why not? Don't you love me 18?"

"Yes Krillen," 18 took Krillens face in her hands and looked him intently in the eyes, "Yes Krillen, I love you. But I can't marry you. I'm not worthy to spend my life with someone as amazing as you. It wouldn't be fair on you to tie you down for ever with someone like me"

Krillen didn't know what to say, "18, please, don't do this to me" he begged, his eyes filling with tears that 18 quickly wiped away.

"Don't cry," 18 pleaded, her own eyes becoming a little teary, "You'll see in time that I'm trying to do the right thing. You'll find someone who is just as beautiful, and classy and amazing as you and you'll forget all about me"

"Don't do this to me," Krillen repeated. "I don't want anyone else 18. I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you, and ever since that minute I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Can't you see that I am absolutely, totally in love with you, and every second I'm not with you I feel like I'm going to die"

18 didn't know what to say. Inside there was a grand battle going on between her emotions. One half told her to get up and run away, to give Krillen a chance to live the life he deserved to live, without her burden. And the other half told her to throw her arms around his neck, kiss him like she never had before and tell him yes of course she would marry him. 

"Krillen," she muttered his name, "I'm sorry"

"I'll die without you"

"Krillen, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to do what's right" she whispered through her tears.

"The right thing is to marry me. I can give you everything you've ever wanted"

"But I can't give you anything. Krillen, life with me would be miserable. You'd hate it"

"18, all I want is you. That's it, I swear. I love you" he said, wiping tears off 18's cheeks.

"Really?" she asked

"Yes. You're my everything 18. Please…"

There was a long silence as 18 fought against her inner demons. After what seemed like hours for Krillen, 18 picked up her gaze, and gave him a small teary-eyed smile.

"Ask me again" she whispered

"18, will you please marry me"

She nodded, wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him. Krillen held onto her as tight as he could, terrified that if he left go she would disappear. She had given him a real scare there, Krillen really didn't know what he would do without 18 in his life – he had never even really thought about it, since it just seemed so impossible not to have her there by his side forever.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry I did that to you Krillen" 18 confess. She was literally shaking from the shock she had gone through.

"It's alright sweetheart, it's alright now. There's just one more thing I need to do"

"What's that?" 18 asked, sitting up

Krillen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red box. Flipping up the lid he revealed a gold ring with an amazing square diamond sitting on it. 18 loudly gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Krillen" she quietly uttered his name, her eyes darting between the ring and Krillens sparkling black eyes.

He slipped the ring onto her finger, and then kissed the back of her hand. "I hope now you can see exactly how I feel about you"

18 nodded her head, then leaned in and softly kissed him.

***

A/N; Well? Was it ok? I really hope that last Krillen and 18 scene was to your liking, because I really did work very hard to make it good! Only a 2 more chapters (and an epilogue) to go now! Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and hopefully the next one will be up soon! ~D.B


	45. Insanity

Disclaimer; I don't own DBZ…I own lots of DBZ related products though.

A/N; Here we go, sorry for the wait guys, but this is getting so close to the end that I'm kinda avoiding posting chapters because I really don't want this story to be over…Well, I decided that it was well and truly time I gave you the next installment, so here it is! Tell me what you think, ok!

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 44**

17 quietly hummed a tune to himself as he changed Bianca's diaper; she lay on the changing table, a wide smile on her perfect little face.

"Bianca," he cooed his daughter's name. She turned her head and looked up at him, her bright green eyes sparkling with innocent life, "Daddy loves you" he bent down and planted a kiss on her tiny cheek.

He found it hard to believe that he had been a father for a whole month, that the miracle that was his daughter had been in his life for a whole 30 days. Every morning when he woke up he thanks the gods above for letting him have Tarie and Bianca, the two most precious things he had ever laid eyes on. Without them, 17 didn't know what he would do.

Picking Bianca up, he held her close to his chest and turned around. Tarie was standing at the kitchen counter, her back facing him, stirring a bowl of something. Another thing 17 had learned about his better half since they had been living up here. Tarie was an amazing cook. Neither of them looked like they consisted entirely of skin and bone anymore, nothing in 17's life could be any more perfect.

"17" Tarie called over her shoulder, never once breaking her stirring chain. 17 walked across the room and into the small kitchen where he stood beside his lover. "Yes?" he asked.

"Taste this" Tarie held a spoon to his lips.

Nodding his head, 17 smiled, "That's really good" he said, "What is it?"

"Well, when it's finished cooking, it will be a chocolate and vanilla cake"

"Come on missy," Tarie said, lifting Bianca out of her father's arms and placing her over her shoulder, "it's bath time for you". She began to walk away, but 17 took hold of the back of her shirt, pulled her back and kissed her.

"What was that for?" she asked once they parted

"No reason"

"Ok then" nodded Tarie, and kissed him again.

17 eventually let Tarie go and bathe their daughter, and he was just about to pour himself a glass of water when there was a knock at the door.

"Can you get that 17?" called Tarie from the bathroom

"I'm way ahead of you" he replied as he pulled open the door. "Hey sis," he greeted 18 with a smile, "What are you so happy about?"

Stepping into the apartment, 18 couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "I have some great news" she said, happiness radiating from her every word.

"Well, what is it?" 17 asked, he had always hated suspense.

Without a word, 18 held out her hand, to reveal the sparking engagement ring that was resting there.

17's eyes grew wide in shock. "He didn't did he?"

18 nodded, "he did" she almost squealed.

"18!" 17 cried joyously. Wrapping his arms around his sister, he lifted her clear off the ground and spun her around in a circle. "Congratulations!"

"Thank-you" she said, still grinning like an idiot.

"When did this happen?"

"Last night"

"Is Tarie around?" 18 asked, looking around the small room, obviously wanting to share her good news with her best friend.

"Yeah, I'll go get her"

She watched as 17 went into the bathroom, and a few seconds later, Tarie came out.

"Hey, what's up? Wow, 17 was right, you do look happy. I hear you have something to tell me" she said with a smile.

18 nodded her head, but said nothing.

"Well, spit it out" Tarie said, wanting to be in on 18's happiness.

"Krillen proposed!"

Tarie's face lit up and she took her friend in a tight embrace. "Oh my gosh. I am so happy for you, for both of you!"

18 held out her hand again to let Tarie get a look at the ring.

"That's amazing, 18. I bet it cost Krillen an absolute fortune"

"I didn't ask"

"So, were you totally shocked? Or did you have an idea it was coming"

"Nu uh. He just popped the question and I totally freaked. I gave him this lecture on why I couldn't marry him and telling him that he didn't really want to marry me"

Tarie snorted with laughter. "I bet you gave him quite a scare"

"Yeah. Anyway, I came around. And this morning it finally sunk in, and I just can't stop smiling"

"I'm so happy for you 18. I can't think of anyone who deserves this more than you do"

***

Krillen punched relentlessly at the air, it had been at least a fortnight since his last training session, so he really needed to make this one count. Still, there was only so much training one could do when they couldn't get their fiancée of their mind.

He was totally whipped by her, and after the scare she had given him the night before he was even more grateful to have her. Not a minute went by when she wasn't on his mind, and he loved it.

Suddenly, the robotic female voice of the G.R's began speaking, scaring the wits out of Krillen and causing a Ki ball meant for training droid to go smashing into the wall. Looking around, Krillen spotted his brother peering in through the small circular window in the door.

Just as he landed on the ground, Vegeta pulled open the door. "What can I do for you?" Krillen asked as he picked up his towel.

"We need to talk"

"Ok, just give me a few minutes to freshen up. I'll meet you in the sitting room in say, 10?"

~

15 minutes later Krillen walked into the Royal Families sitting room, where Vegeta was already waiting for him. "Hi" he greeted him with a smile

"Hello" Vegeta replied leaning back in his chair.

Krillen sat down opposite Vegeta, and looked him straight in the eyes. "So, what's up?" he asked

"I have an offer for you," he replied, "It's a big offer so you need to take it seriously"

"Since when do I not take thing seriously?"

"You right. Well, as you know, I'm not taking the throne. Father will probably hate me forever because of it, but as far as I see it, this has nothing to do with him. I don't think I'm the right person for the job of King, but I think that you Krillen, are"

Krillen blinked, then blinked again. "What?" he asked.

"I'm offering you the throne. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more or who would be a better ruler for our people than you"

"Vegeta…" he stopped for a minute as he thought over what had just been said. "You're kidding right?"

"Since when do I kid about anything?"

"But…but why? I'm only 20. You deserve to be King, not me"

"No Krillen. You were meant to do this, not me"

"Well…" he trailed off, deep in thought – as he well should be. His mind was going 10 hundred miles a minute. What the hell had just happened here? Was this real or was it a dream, he didn't know quite what to make of it. What would 18 think? Would she want to be Queen? Probably not, but this really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Oh, and by the way," Vegeta said, snapping him out of his musings "congratulations on your engagement"

Krillen looked confused. "How the hell did you find out about that?" he asked with a grin.

"The woman" Vegeta replied nonchalantly.

"And she found it out from…?"

"The woman who had the baby"

"Tarie. And who did she hear it from?"

"18"

Krillen shook his head and smiled, so much for keeping it quite. Now that Bulma knew, it would only be a matter of hours until the entire palace knew.

Looking back to his older brother, Krillen got back to the real issue, "I'll have to talk it over with 18. But assuming she okay's it. I would consider taking the role, on one condition"

"And what would that be?"

"You would be my right hand man. There is no way I could possibly run and entire Kingdom by myself, and we have been doing a pretty good job there past few weeks. I couldn't do it without you, Vegeta"

A small smile tinged Vegeta's lips, and to think, before they went to Namek, they couldn't stand each other. "That sounds like one hell of a plan"

"Well then," Krillen stood up, "I believe I need to go have a chat with my fiancée"

"Don't bother" Vegeta informed him.

"Why not?" Krillen asked, raising an eyebrow

"The woman took her shopping"

***

"Bulma, are you sure this is ok. Slaves are not allowed outside the palace walls. It's penalty of death you know"

Bulma pulled her pink convertible into an empty parking space and climbed out. "Don't worry about it 18. Everything will be fine, now lets go shopping"

"I have no money"

"18 don't worry, it's on me"

18's eyes lit up. How could someone not like the idea of going on a wild shopping spree with somebody else's money?

"Now," Bulma warned her as they walked towards the shopping strip, "There are always photographers around here, and they seem to love a Royal scandal, you'll probably get your picture snapped a few times, but just ignore them and keep going"

"Ok" 18 said, still not comfortable with the whole idea of being outside the palace. Though once they walked into the first store, all of that was quickly forgotten and her natural shopping instincts kicked in.

~

"18 how about this?" Bulma said tapping 18 on the shoulder. 18 turned around and smiled, eyeing the knee length white dress, "It'll be perfect for lounging around by the pool"

"You're right" 18 agreed, "but does it come in my size?"

"Yeah, this one is your size. And speaking of the pool, we need to find you some swimsuits"

"We are definitely going to have to do this more often" 18 said with a smile. She walked across the store and picked up a pale pink bikini, "how about this one?" she asked

"That is so cute" said Bulma, walking over to join her friend, "and it would look cool with this over the top. She held up a denim mini skirt and a pink singlet top.

They continued on that way for quite some time, buying anything and everything that took their fancy – which was a very large amount, but eventually, they decided that enough was enough and that it was time to stop and get some food. They walked into a small café and took a seat as far away from any windows as possible.

"So," Bulma said, putting all her shopping bags on the ground beside her, "How's it feel to be engaged?"

"How's it feel?" 18 asked, really having no idea

"Yeah"

"Well it feels…I don't really know how it feels"

"Think of it this way," Bulma said with a smile, "You're going to be a princess"

Suddenly, a thought dawned on 18 and she buried her head in her hands and groaned.

"What?" asked Bulma.

"I'm gonna be related to Chi-chi" 18 mumbled through her hands.

Bulma had to laugh, "welcome to my world"

***

"Ah, you must be from the medical center" King Vegeta greeted a man and a woman who were smartly dressed in black business attire by shaking each of their hands.

"Yes, that's correct" the lady informed him, "We are here to see your daughter"

"Of course you are," he began as he led them from the front parlor of the palace and up the stairs.

As the King led the two psychiatrists down the palace halls, a million thought were running through his head. How would Chi-chi react to these people? Would she try and kill them? Would she kill them? Or what if they found something seriously wrong with his only daughter? He wasn't quite sure what he would do.

They soon arrived at Chi-chi's bedroom; as usual the door was locked. The King knocked gently and took a step back, this thoughts wandering to just where his wife could have gotten to.

"What?" came an agitated cry from the other side of the door.

"Chi-chi dear, it's your father. May I come in?"

"Get lost!"

"Chi-chi" his voice was a little more demanding this time.

Sure enough, noises could be heard from the other side of the door and a few seconds later, the door swung open.

"Who are they?" Chi-chi asked bluntly.

"Chi-chi, they're here to help you"

"Who are they?" she repeated her question

The lady stepped forward; she was very pretty and smiled kindly at Chi-chi. "My name is Adi, it's lovely to meet you Princess Chi-chi. This is my college, Wei" she pointed to the man standing beside her, who also flashed Chi-chi a friendly grin.

"What do you want?" she asked, still sounding very skeptical towards the 2 strangers.

"We'd just like to come in and have a chat with you, that is if it's ok with you of course" the man informed her

"Whatever, I don't really care" she said turning around and heading back into the dark room.

"King Vegeta, once we have finished your daughters assessment, we will need to speak with you. Where will we be able to find you?" the lady asked.

"I'll be just down the hall, in the sitting room"

"Ok great," she said, then followed her partner into Chi-chi's room and closed the door.

~

"Can we sit down, Chi-chi?" Adi asked as she took a pen and a clipboard out of her bag.

"Do whatever you want" Chi-chi replied she lay herself down on her big unmade bed.

"Do you mind if we open the window? Let in some light" suggested Wei

"The window stays shut" Chi-chi warned, the tone in her voice just daring anyone to argue with her. Adi instantly scribbled something down on her clipboard.

"Can I ask you a question?" Wei asked as he moved some things off a chair and sat on it.

Chi-chi shrugged her shoulders, "suppose so"

"How do you feel about your older brothers marriage?"

Chi-chi snorted and looked up at the ceiling "He's a jackass and she's a wench, they deserve each other"

"That's a bit harsh don't you think?" Adi piped up, as she continued to write on her clipboard.

"No, it's the truth. I hope they both die"

"Ok then, everyone is entitled to their own opinion I suppose"

"Chi-chi, how long has it been since you came out of this room?" asked Adi

"Since my stupid brothers stupid wedding"

"And how long ago was that?"

"3 days"

"And before that, how long had you been in here.

"I dunno, like a month"

Again, she took notes.

"What about 18?" Wei asked, leaning forward on his chair, "is it true you beat her?"

"Yeah, so what? She's my slave and I can beat her if I want. If I had my way, I'd rip her ugly head right off her shoulders"

Both Adi and Wei looked up in shock, "Don't you feel any remorse, after you hit her? When she does so much for you?"

"No, why should I? Beating her makes me feel good, and lets her know where she stands. Why do you care anyway?"

"Adi and myself are psychiatrist, your father asked us to came and talk with you."

"What!" Chi-chi sat up in shock, "How dare he! How dare he think he has the right to suddenly come waltzing back into my life and act like everything is just like it was before he left!"

"What do you mean?"

"My father and his stupid wife. She ruined everything. Kakkarot ruined everything. 18 ruined everything. Everyone is against me! They are all out to get me!"

"No one is out to get you Chi-chi" Wei tried to sooth her, but it was futile

"Yes they are. Everyone has something against me, and I never did anything wrong. Ever since they came back from Namek they have changed"

"No one has changed Chi-chi" said Adi

"What would you know" Chi-chi snapped.

"Well, I think we've done just about enough talking for today wouldn't you say?" Wei asked his partner.

"Yes," she agreed with a nod of the head, "Thank you very much for you time Chi-chi, we are going to go and speak with you father, then we'll let you know what's going on ok"

"What do you mean?" Chi-chi asked

"We'll be back in just a little while ok"

~

The two associates walked down the hall, following the Kings directions they found their way to the sitting room. Upon walking in, the discovered that the King wasn't alone. There was a pretty woman with pale pink hair sitting beside him, and the two were quietly chatting amongst themselves.

Wei cleared his throat and the pair looked up. "Back so soon." The King commented as he stood, "please, take a seat"

Both Wei and Adi took seats opposite the King and looked at him with matching somber expressions.

"This is Kahlia, my wife. Please tell us what you know about Chi-chi" asked the King, even though he could already tell it wasn't going to be good.

Adi looked down at her clip bored before she replied. "From what we can tell from this initial conference, your daughter is in great need of psychological assistance. She is showing severe signs of depression which if untreated could lead to something such as Bulimia and or Anorexia. I also believe she is suffering from an acute case of Avoidant Personality Disorder" she explained.

Both Kahlia and the King wore identical clueless expressions on their faces. "Excuse me?" asked Kahlia, "What is that?"

"APD is an extreme fear of rejection. It varies from each individual, but in Chi-chi's case I would class her in the extreme zone. In the past 10 minutes we spent with her, she exhibited 7 of the 8 signs of APD, all of which she demonstrated at a high level. If it goes unattended to, Chi-chi is heading towards a major nervous breakdown within the next 6 months" Adi continued, trying to break the news to the two concerned people sitting across from her.

"What can be done about it? Is there any medication she can take?"

This time, it was Wei who responded "Medication can be administered, but it must be done so under careful supervision. Also, the medication alone will have no effect, for Chi-chi to make a full recovery, she will need intensive counseling and therapy, which unfortunately, cant be carried out here in the palace"

"Pardon?" asked the King, not liking what he was hearing at all.

"What we're saying is, the only way we can treat your daughter is to bring for in for a minimum 6 month stay at Oakridge Mental Facility. After that she will be assessed again and depending on her improvements, be allowed to come back home"

"There is nothing else that can be done?"

"Sir," Wei explained, "If Chi-chi doesn't go to the hospital, she is going to end up dead. It is in her best interest for you to sign these forms, admitting her into the hospital" he said, handing several pieces of paper to the King.

"Chi-chi is of age though, shouldn't she be signing these herself?" Kahlia asked

Adi shook her head, "it is against the law for mentally disturbed people to admit themselves in. As her father it is your legal responsibility to sign her in"

Picking up the pen, it shook in his hand, he was about to press it to the paper and sign his name when he stopped, "This is not to get out, understand? If the press hear one word of this you will be sued so fast you wont know what hit you"

"I can assure you King Vegeta, all our patients details are strictly confidential"

Nodding his head to show he understood, he scribbled his signature onto the paper, then breathed a sigh of relief. Finally Chi-chi would be getting the help she so sorely needed.

***

"So, did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"About my sister"

"Oh that news. Yeah, I heard"

17 leaned back against the wall and smiled. It was a great day outside and he was happy. Beside him, Nison sat, looking much less impressed with the world.

"What?" 17 asked giving him an odd look, "are you not happy for my sister?"

"No, no" Nison tipped his head back and looked up at the sky. "I'm happy for her man, it's just…" he trailed off.

"You like her, don't you?"

"What?"

"You like my sister. Nis, I don't blame you, I know that she's beautiful, and I know that any guy would be amazingly lucky to have her"

"She's more than beautiful 17. I would do anything to have her, even just for one day" Nison said with a sigh.

Spinning around, 17 looked his friend directly in the eyes, "Don't" he pleased with him.

"Huh?"

"Don't do or try anything with my sister. She deserves more than anything else, to be happy, and Krillen makes her happier than you or I could ever possibly could. Please, don't take that away from her Nison"

"But what about me?"

"Would taking 18 away from anything that ever meant anything to her really make you happy?" 17 asked seriously.

"Your right man, I don't know what I was thinking," Nison was quite for a few minutes, then a bright smile settled on his lips, "I'm really happy for you sister" he said. And he was, he genuinely was.

***

"Krillen!" Krillen jumped and spun around. His eyes lighting up at what he saw. Kakkarot was stampeding down the corridor, getting many odd looks, which of course, he totally ignored.

"Kakkarot!" Krillen called back in reply. He was about to say something else, but Kakkarot got with in an arms reach of him and took him in a big hug.

"What's all this about?" Krillen asked, forcing himself out of Kakkarot's grip

"I heard the news. It's so great!"

"News?" Krillen asked "what news"

"About you and 18 silly"

"Oh that news. Yeah, it's great," said Krillen with a big bright smile." How'd you find out about that anyway?"

"Well, Bulma told her mother, who told the woman who made Bulma's wedding dress. Well, she knows the palace gardener quite well so she told him, and he's married to the woman who does my mothers nails, so she found out through her, and naturally my mother told me" Kakkarot explained. It was probably one of the most complicated things that had ever come out of his mouth

"Right" Krillen slowly drew the word. "So anyway," he changed the subject, "what brings you here?"

"Well, I heard the news and I just had to come over and give my best wishes to you and 18"

"I have an idea. Do you want to join us for dinner? Bulma and Vegeta are eating with us as well. Should be fun"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, of course I am"

"Alright then, thanks for offering"

Soon, Kakkarot and Krillen could hear two voices off in the distance, as they got closer they were distinguishable as Bulma and 18 and sure enough, a few seconds later they rounded they corner. Both carrying about a million shopping bags.

"Ah Kakkarot, hi!" called Bulma happily as she approached the men and threw an arm around Kakkarot's neck, "great to see you. And Krillen," she planted a kiss on his cheek, "I couldn't be any happier for you!"

Krillen blushed at Bulma's greeting; he could hear 18 laughing at him and turned to look at her, only to almost die.

She was wearing real clothes. Finally she had been shed off her horrible black skirt and white shirt and given something that fit her properly and looked good. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue singlet top. It was so simple, but took Krillens breath away.

"You like?" he heard her ask.

"That's the understatement of the century" he said as he took her in his arms and kissed her.

"Well, sorry to separate you two love birds, but 18 and I are going to go and freshen up for dinner, and since I assume you invited Kakkarot, I suggest you boys go find my husband and get ready as well"

***

"Chi-chi, dear. I promise you, this is all for the best" the King placed a hand on her shoulder, but not only did she push it off, but powered up a Ki ball and attempted to throw it at him.

"All for the best? You're send my away to a crazy home. I'm not crazy!" Chi-chi shrieked at the top of her lung.

"No, you're not crazy dear. Not at all. You're just…think of it as a holiday. You're going to come home in 6 months feeling like a whole new person"

"Chi-chi, would you like me to help you pack your bags?" offered Kahlia.

"You! Get out of my site, before I kick your head off!" Chi-chi threatened.

Next it was Adi who stepped forward. "Chi-chi, I know this seems scary and unfair, but think of all the special attention you are going to get at Oakridge. I just know everyone there will love you, and there is so much there for you. We have a swimming pool, cafeteria, a recreation room, you'll have your own private bedroom. So what do you say? I'll help you get packed if you like"

Taking a step back, Chi-chi glared at her father and Kahlia. "How could you do this to me?" she asked, all fierceness from her voice, now gone

"You'll thank me when you are better Chi"

"I have no choice but to go, do I?" she asked

"Of course you do. But trust me, it's for your own good"

She was quite for a few minutes. Turning her gaze away from the group a long sigh escaped her lips. "Fine. Send me away, I don't care anymore"

"Chi-chi, it's not like that"

"Yes it is," she cut in on her father before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"Alright then. We'll leave you to pack"

"We should be about 30 minutes," Adi told the King.

King Vegeta and Kahlia stepped out of Chi-chi's room, and straight away, a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Oh hey…hey it's alright" Kahlia said, wrapping her husband in an embrace, "you did the right thing"

Sniffing back his tear, he regained his composure, "I suppose we should go and tell the boys then" he suggested.

"I think that would be best," agreed Kahlia, then looked down at her watch. "They'll be having dinner now"

***

The room was loud with chatter. Bulma and 18 were engaged in a deep conversation about their shopping adventure earlier that day, something the men at the table found very uninteresting. Their conversations were many and varied, and at times got quite loud as a topic that one of them was quite passionate about was brought up.

Right now, Vegeta was having his turn to be loud; debating with Kakkarot and Krillen that sparring was more effective alone rather than with someone. After letting him rant and rave for almost five minutes, Bulma couldn't stand it anymore and decided to calm him down.

"Vegeta, calm down" she said, placing her hand on his lower arm.

"Woman," he sounded aggravated.

"What? You're going to burst a blood vessel or something if your not careful"

"No I wont" he stated defiantly 

"Stop it Vegeta. It's important to spar both alone and with a partner ok. End of story"

Vegeta seemed content with that answer, since it resulted in him being neither right nor wrong and soon the subject was once again changed. Turning back to 18, Bulma smiled. "Honestly," she said, "men are more trouble than they are worth"

His ear picking up on the last part of the sentence, Krillen turned to face the girls, "that's not true" he said with a pout.

"Is so" argued Bulma.

"Now now Bulma. Some guys are worth the trouble" 18 said, not looking at Bulma, her gaze was fixed intently on Krillen.

Shaking her head, Bulma smiled and looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly, everything around her went quiet. Looking around, she noticed everyone was looking behind her, so twisting her torso around, she to, had a look behind her, and saw the King and his wife making their way across the room.

Both Krillen and Vegeta stood up and greeted their father. "It's alright boys, sit down"

They did as they were told. Under the table 18 sought Krillens hand and gave it a squeeze. Had the King found out about their engagement? Did he even know they were a couple?

"We need to talk. I have something to tell you all" he said, getting right to the point

"All of us?" asked Bulma.

"Yes, that's what I said isn't it. It's concerning Chi-chi"

"Chi-chi? Is she alright?" Kakkarot asked. He may not have loved her anymore, but he still wanted to know she was ok.

"That's what we need to talk to you about. Earlier today, she was given a psychological examination by two of Vegeta-seis most respected psychiatrists and they have come up with quite a sever prognosis"

"Really?" asked Krillen, "what?"

"They have said if she doesn't get the help she needs in the next six months, there is no hope for her"

"As opposed to her having any hope now?" Vegeta asked sarcastically

"Vegeta" Bulma hissed at him and hit him in the arm. He was quite after that.

"What's going to happen to her?" Kakkarot asked

"As we speak, she is packing her bags and soon she will be heading off to Oakridge Mental Facility for a six months stay"

Around the table, everyone's jaws dropped open. Was this true? Were their ears deceiving them? Was Chi-chi going to leave them alone once and for all?

"She'll be leaving in about 20 minutes. I think you should do her the courtesy of seeing her off" Kahlia spoke up for the first time.

"Are you sure that's what she would want?" asked Krillen.

"Regardless of whether she wants it or not, it's the right thing to do"

Bulma nodded in agreement, "We'll be there"

After that, the King and Kahlia left and there was a whole different mood in the room. No one knew exactly what to say about this newest news. It was a huge shock to everyone that something had finally been done about Chi-chi declining state of mind.

"Well," it was Bulma who spoke up first, "this is quite an interesting development"

"You could say that" Vegeta agreed with his wife of 2 days.

18 was still holding on tightly to Krillens hand. Everyone else may have been in shock. But she felt like she was about to burst from pure joy. Chi-chi was gone! She was free once and for all! No more impossibly hard work and severe beating. Just a life with Krillen and her friends! For the first time in as long as 18 could remember, things were going her way.

Turning to face her fiancée, she smiled. It probably wasn't the most appropriate emotion to be displaying, but she didn't care. Krillen took his free hand she wrapped it around her neck. "Congratulations babe" he whispered into her ear.

***

"Are you ready to go Chi-chi?" Adi asked as she pushed her hair back off her face.

"No, but I don't think I'm going to be getting any readier"

"Chi-chi, this isn't going to be as bad as you are imagining it to be" Adi tried to reassure her.

"Yes it is"

"Oakridge is a lovely place. You'll make lots of friends there and before you know it, you'll be allowed to come home. Now come on, Wei is waiting outside in the car"

Chi-chi picked up her bags and took one last look around the room that contained so many of her memories, both good and bad. It was to late to back out of this now though. And besides, her father was making her go.

They got to the end of the hall, where the King and Kahlia were waiting for her.

"You're brothers are waiting downstairs to say goodbye" he informed her.

Suddenly a fire flashed in Chi-chi's eyes. "I don't want to see any of them" she hissed.

"Chi-chi clam down" warned Adi.

"No" she retorted. "I'm not speaking to them"

"You don't have to, just be civil"

~

Downstairs, Bulma, Vegeta, Krillen, 18 and Kakkarot stood just by the door to the front parlor of the palace, talking amounts themselves. They all fell silent when they heard voices at the top of the stairs. Looking up, they saw Chi-chi, being accompanied by the King, Kahlia and a woman they had never seen before. It was the woman who approached them first.

"Prince Vegeta, Prince Krillen, Princess Bulma" She greeted them. Bulma blinked, that was the single weirdest thing she had ever experienced in her entire life.

"Please, no need for formalities" Krillen assured her.

She smiled at them, and then continued on speaking, "My name is Adi. I'm a psychiatrist from Oakridge. I trust your father spoke to you about Chi-chi's condition"

"Yes" said Vegeta.

"Well, it is quite serious, and she is going to need all of your support to get through this" Adi explained.

"Chi-chi hates us," Bulma informed her.

"No, her brain is telling her she hates you, she just needs the right kind of help and she'll be back to herself"

"If you don't mind, I prefer the Chi-chi that stays locked up in her room all day and night over the Chi-chi that constantly hurts and abuses the people I care about" said Krillen.

"She wont do that anymore. She is going to walk away from Oakridge a new woman, provided she has the right support. You're support" 

"We'll do our best" promised Kakkarot, then the next thing he knew, a Ki ball was flying towards 18 and himself. He shoved 18 to the ground and jumped out of the way just in time.

"Chi-chi!" he shouted as he stood up.

"You! It's all your fault they're sending me to a crazy home! You did this to me. All of you! You're all out to get me!" she shrieked as she charged at them.

Kakkarot grabbed hold of her arms and pinned them by her sides. "Chi-chi, no one is out to get you. You're sick ok. These people are going to help you"

"Get the hell away from me" she hissed, struggling to break free of his grip. When he let go she stumbled backwards where Adi gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Chi-chi. Lets go"

"I'll get you!" Chi-chi yelled, as she was lead out of the palace by Adi and the King. "I'll get you all! Just you wait and see. This isn't the end!"

"Wait!" Kakkarot yelled to the departing trio. Adi had said she needed their support, so he was going to start now.

He walked across the room, an odd smile on his face, "I'll miss ya Chi" he said sympathetically. The gleam in Chi-chi's eyes disappeared and she tipped her head to one side. "Really?" she asked, her voice sounding like it was about to break.

"Yeah" Kakkarot nodded his head, "when they say it's ok, I'll come visit you"

"I'll miss you to"

"Bye Chi"

***

A/N; Well, Chi-chi is finally off to get the help she needs. What did you all think of this chapter? Hope your up for a good long sitting session, because the next chapter is the last one (sob sob) and I wouldn't be surprised if it's like 20 thousand words…

Well, be sure to let me know what you think, and I'll be back soon with the FINAL chapter of A.T.Y.K

~D.B


	46. The Dawning Of A New Era

Disclaimer: As I have stated many times over, I don't own DBZ FUNimation or someone like that own it... so hassle them, not me.

A/N: Can you believe it? That last chapter of And Then You'll Know is finally here. It's been a journey spanning a year and a half, but this is it – this is where it all ends. I sincerely hope you will enjoy this final chapter and it will be the ending you all hoped for. I have tried my very very best, and I must say I'm getting a little teary eyed… I really hope you will all enjoy this and I know there was a long wait in between the last few chapters, but I have been trying to make something that you will all remember and enjoy.

~Deadly Beauty

And Then You'll Know 

**Chapter 44**

"Krillen, wake up" called 18, as she climbed onto the bed and sat on Krillens legs.

"Babe," he muttered into his pillow, "it's to early"

18 rolled her eyes and smiled. "Early?" she asked, "you have a press meeting in 20 minutes"

That woke Krillen up, he shot up in bed and tried to move, but 18 was still sitting on his legs, preventing him from going very far at all. "Babe, I need a shower"

"Is this going to happen every day?" 18 asked, tucking her sleep tousled hair behind her ear

"What, me having a shower?"

"No, me having to wake you up. I'm not your personal assistant you know"

"I know sweetheart. It's just that, I'm a bit sleepy today"

"Me to" 18 agreed, flashing him a knowing smile.

Leaning forward, Krillen kissed 18 then with a very small amount of effort; he picked her up and moved her off his legs. "I'll be out in a few minutes ok"

"Alright"

18 got off the bed and pulled the blankets off as well. She hummed a tune while she went about her usual morning tasks of making the bed and opening the curtains. It had been two weeks since Chi-chi had left for Oakridge and the King and his wife had left back for Kahlia's home planet, where they both now resided. For 18, they had been the happiest two weeks of her life. She had gone on numerous shopping trips with Bulma and they had even found 18 a wedding dress, that was something she was really excited about. Though, everyone, even the lady who had sold them the dress, had said if she wanted to look truly stunning in it she would need to put on some weight. So for the past two weeks she had been eating everything she could get her hands on, and it seemed to be working. For the first time in years she didn't look like she was about to die. Her skin had a healthy glow, she had so much more energy than before, and her ribs were getting harder and harder to see.

Walking across the room, 18 pulled open the cupboard doors and scanned through her now quite extensive range of clothing. She decided that today she would wear a pair of light blue jeans and a simple black singlet top. She then remembers she was planning on standing in on Krillen press conference and that her chosen attire would hardly be appropriate, so she peeled her top off and changed it for a black shirt and a white suit jacket with thin black pinstripes.

"How is it, that every single day you manage to look more beautiful than the last?" Krillen asked as he stepped out of the bathroom and walked towards her.

"Don't come near me," 18 jumped backwards and Krillen stopped dead in his tracks, wondering just what he had done wrong. "What's the matter?" he asked

"You're all wet!" 18 exclaimed. "You get dressed and I'm quickly going to go and see Bulma and I'll meet you down at the conference room in 10 minutes ok" she continued

"Alright babe"

18 walked out into the hall, which was quite busy, walked past Chi-chi old room – which was now empty. Of course when she came home everything would be put back, but in the weeks she had locked herself in that room, it had gotten into the state where everything need to be changed. New carpet was needed, the walls needed a coat of paint and all new furniture had to be brought.

The next room she came to was Bulma and Vegeta's room. The door was open and music was floating out.

"Bulma" 18 called as she knocked on the door, then just walked right on in to the room. 

This room too, had undergone some serious changes. Before Bulma had married Vegeta this room had been very dark and gloomy. All the furniture was made of dark wood, the carpet was a very deep red color and the heavy drapes had always been pulled across the window letting in little to no light. Now thought, it was a much nicer feel to it. The days of gloom were over as Bulma had re-decorated the entire room, giving it a very modern and classy touch.

"Oh hi 18" Bulma greeted her friend with a big smile "what are you doing here?"

"Filling in time. Krillen has a press meeting in a few minutes"

"So, how excited are you?" asked Bulma

18 raised an eyebrow, "about the meeting?" she asked.

"No, about tomorrow you goose"

"Oh the coronation. I don't really know if excited is the word I would choose. I'm terrified for him. What if something goes wrong?"

"18, it's the biggest day in Krillens life. I don't think he wants you to be terrified for him" Bulma said with a smile.

"I can't help it" 18 said.

~

Krillen folded back the collar of and turned to look in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and 

A black shirt. He had always hated the stuffy suits and ties that his father had made him wear. He was much more comfortable wearing a nice pair of pants and a shirt, just like he was now.

Looking down at his watch he jumped. He had to be all the way down the other end of the palace in 3 minutes. Quickly pulling on his shoes, he flung open the door to his room and ran down the hall as fast as he possibly could.

He arrived several minutes late, and walked in through the back door and up on to the small stage. Straight away he spotted 18 and Bulma standing just by the door and smiled at them. Only seconds later the press began to bombard him with question and he began to get aggravated. This meeting was supposed to be about tomorrow's coronation ceremony and how Krillen was feeling about it all. Instead so far every single question had been about Krillens 'mystery girl'

Someone had leaked it to people that Krillen was romantically involved with someone, but no one knew who she was. This 'Phantom Girl' was making headlines daily though. As much as Krillen hated it, 18 was enjoying reading all the articles about her. So far none of them had even been close to accurate, they just amused her.

Tuning back in to her surroundings 18 looked up at the stage, only to notice that Krillen was about to loose it. She waited until he made eye contact with her, then she gently pushed the air downwards with her hands, signaling for Krillen to calm down.

Noticing her gesture, Krillen took a few deep breaths and smiled warmly at her. She was right, she was always right. Looking down at his watch he winced, he had 20 minutes to get to a suit fitting for the ceremony.

"I only have time for a few more questions, and please, no more about the phantom lady," he begged.

Many hands went down, and Krillen shook his head and sighed.

***

Vegeta stood waiting impatiently for his fathers ship to land. When it finally landed and the ramp slid down, he breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't know how much more of this waiting around he could of stood. It was Kahlia who walked down the ramp first and Vegeta shuddered. '_Why'd he have to bring her?_' he thought to himself. King Vegeta followed close behind his wife.

"Father," Vegeta greeted the older man with a stiff bow

"Son," he replied, "it's good to see you. How is everyone"

"Fine"

"Have you heard from Chi-chi's doctors at all?"

"I spoke with them yesterday. They say she has made a little improvement, but it is still a long road ahead"

The King rubbed his chin thoughtfully, sighed then looked at Kahlia and smiled.

"Take Kahlia's bags for her would you son?" he asked Vegeta

"Kahlia is a big girl, I think she can carry her own bags" he said, then turned and headed back inside the palace, wishing to have no further conversations with either his father or the woman he called his wife.

He muttered to himself as he stomped down the hall. He had woken up in a bad mood, and it had gotten progressively worse as the day proceeded. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice his wife walking up the hall towards him until she was right in his face.

"Vegeta?" she asked, "are you ok?"

"I'm fine" he said, not even picking his eyes up of the ground to look at her.

"Vegeta," Bulma placed her finger under his chin and lifted his head up, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" he said pulling away from Bulma and leaning against the wall.

"What did he say to you Vegeta?" she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing, he didn't say anything"

Bulma sighed knowingly, so that was what was wrong. It wasn't what Vegeta's father had said; it was what he hadn't said.

"Hey, it's alright" she said, flashing him a warm smile, then looking down at her watch. "I don't have to go back to work for a while. What do you say we go take a walk in the garden"

***

"Where are we going?" 18 asked as she took Krillens hand in hers and let him lead her down some of the palace halls she hadn't even known existed.

"I want to show you something"

"Yeah, where?"

"Down here"

18 rolled her eyes, "You're an idiot Krillen" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, but you love me" he said as he slowed down then stopped walking all together.

18 looked up at the big wooden door, it reminded her of the door to the slave quarters and she tightened her grip on Krillens hand without even realizing it. Krillen pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door; pushing it open he led 18 inside the room and watched on in amusement at the many looks that spread across her face.

This place was amazing. At the far end of the room was about 40 steps and at the top a big platform. On either side of the isle they were standing at the end of, were rows and rows of seats. The whole room was covered with a deep red carpet, the sun shone in through the high leadlight windows, and many candles stood around the room waiting to be lit. The whole room had a very beautiful yet eerie feeling to it.

"What is this place?" 18 muttered, her eyes still scanning the beautiful room 

"This is the coronation room. Kings have been brought into power here for hundreds of years"

"And tomorrow it's your turn" 18 said, smiling at him.

Krillen headed up the long isle and began to climb the steps, 18 quickly chased after him and met him at the top. From up here, everything looked so small; it was like they were on top of the world.

"How's it feel?" 18 asked as she sat beside Krillen on the top step

"How's what feel?"

"To know that tomorrow this is all going to be yours"

Krillen stopped to think about it before he replied, "I guess I haven't really thought about it"

18 raised an eyebrow, "you haven't really thought about it?" she asked.

Krillen shrugged his shoulders "I've just been so busy, I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet"

18 had to laugh. "That's just like you" she said, then leaned over and kissed his cheek

"What's just like me?" he asked, a faint blush tingeing his face

"You never let anything go to your head. I mean, so much has happened to you these past few months, and you haven't changed a bit. You're still exactly the same man I fell in love with"

"And I plan to stay exactly the same man you fell in love with. 18, just because I'm going to be the King, doesn't mean I'm going to change"

"You're amazing, you know that" 18 said, resting her head on his shoulder and looking down at everything below her.

"No I'm not," Krillen disagreed, placing an arm around her waist, "I'm just a normal kinda guy"

"Trust me, you more than just a normal kinda guy. You're the best kinda guy"

The next thing 18 knew, she was lying on her back and Krillen was looking down at her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, then giggled.

"Getting ready to kiss you," he said. 18 had to smile as he brought his lips down to meet hers. She loved it when he kissed her, it made her whole body tingle.

Opening her eyes from the kiss, 18 wrapped her arms around Krillens neck and smiled, "I love you" she told him.

"I love you to." He said then kissed her again. "I can't wait to marry you"

18 looked a little uncomfortable for a second, and Krillen noticed, but the look quickly disappeared and 18 pushed herself up on her elbows and smiled, "same here" she said

"Well then, how about tomorrow?"

"Excuse me?" 18 asked

"Marry me tomorrow" Krillens eyes came alight as he spoke

"Tomorrow? Have you forgot what you doing tomorrow?" asked 18 as she reached up and tapped on his head

"No I haven't forgotten" said Krillen rolling his eyes, "But think, the coronation will be over by 2, and we can be married by 6. Wouldn't you like that?"

"I would love that. But are you sure you would be up to such a busy day? The coronation is going to take a lot out of you"

"I think I'll have it in me to marry the girl of my dreams. So what do you say?"

"We're getting married!" 18 exclaimed, a very big grin on her face.

Leaning forward and kissing her again, Krillen also smiled, "We're getting married"

"Oh my gosh. I have to go tell Bulma and 17!"

Krillen had to laugh as he stood up and helped 18 up too. "Off you go then," he said. "I have things to do anyway"

"Alright" 18 agreed

"Ok then, I'll see you at dinner ok"

"Ok" 18 agreed again, then left

***

"Do you want coffee?" Bulma asked, unable to wipe the grin off her face as she sat down at her desk

"No thanks" 18 replied.

"I can't believe your getting married tomorrow, its so exciting" Bulma said as she pulled a note pad and pen out from one of the draws under her desk and began to scribble things down.

"What are you doing?" 18 asked pushing her hair back off her face

"Making a list of things we need to get done before tomorrow" Bulma muttered as she continued to write things down, "trust me, getting married takes a lot more planning then you would think"

"Bulma, Krillen and I already talked about this, we only want something small"

"Ok got ya" said Bulma, thought 18 didn't really feel like Bulma knew exactly what she meant by the word small

"No Bulma, I mean the only people we want there are, you, Vegeta, Kakkarot 17, Tarie and Bianca. Small"

Bulma stopped writing and looked up at 18, "That's not small, that's tiny"

"That's all we want, a small ceremony and maybe dinner afterwards"

"You sure?" Bulma asked raising an eyebrow

18 nodded in reply, "Positive"

"Well, you'll still need a priest, flowers, photography, you don't want catering?"

"No"

"You'll need hair and makeup, I can do that if you want"

"How good are you?" 18 asked skeptically, "I want to blow Krillen away"

"Leave it to me and you'll more then blow him away. Trust me, I'll make you look like a goddess"

"Alright, but if you screw it up I'll kill you"

Bulma smiled "deal" she said, the suddenly a thought struck her, "Do you and Krillen have rings?"

"I don't know?" 18 replied, the thought only just dawning on her now that Bulma had mentioned it

"Well, we'd better go and find out. I'm not doing any work here, so lets go shopping" Bulma said as she stood up

"Alright," 18 eagerly agreed, "but can Tarie come too, she has nothing, and I think she would really enjoy coming along"

"Sure," Bulma said with a smile, "you go get her at I'll meet you at the car in say, 20?"

***

It was a very awkward silence around the dinner table. No one was eating, no one knew what to say, and no one wanted to make eye contact. It was King Vegeta who spoke up first – though he wouldn't be holding that title for much longer. In less than 24 hours he would he handing the title of King over to his last-born child, Krillen.

"Vegeta, where is that wife of yours?" he asked

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders "I wouldn't have a clue. Probably shopping with 18"

"You don't know?"

"I don't keep tabs on her 24/7. She is a grown woman and can do what she likes" Vegeta said as he looked at Krillen and pushed his food aimlessly around his plate. He wasn't hungry in the slightest.

"Father," Krillen started, "Is there really a point to Vegeta and I being here? Perhaps you would enjoy your meal more if it were just you and Kahlia" he suggested.

Kahlia looked across at her husband to see what his response would be, this was indeed an awkward situation.

"Nonsense. I want to dine with my sons on the eve of such an important occasion"

Vegeta was about to say something, but the doors were pushed open and 18 and Bulma came strolling through, laughing and chatting. Once they noticed the King and Kahlia though, they stopped dead in their tracks. They hadn't been told the King was eating with them, or else 18 most certainly would not have come. Vegeta Senior had no idea about Krillen and 18. All he knew 18 as was Chi-chi ex slave.

"I-I-I" 18 stammered backing toward the door. Bulma to didn't know what to do. What would the King make of this? It was Krillen however, who answered her questions for her.

"18, it's alright. Come sit down"

"A-are you sure?" she asked

"Positive"

"Come on, 18" Bulma urged her as she walked across the room, kissed Vegeta on the cheek and sat down beside him.

"What's going on here?" asked the King as 18 sat down beside Krillen and he took her hand.

"Father, you know 18, my fiancée"

Kahlia gasped quietly. "Krillen, I had no idea" she said, the shock in her voice evident.

"Your what?" the King asked

"My fiancée" Krillen repeated himself, "and after tomorrow, she will be my wife"

"No she wont" the King spoke, raising his voice slightly, "As King, I wont allow it"

"Ah yes father, but you see, tomorrow I shall be crowned King, and I am going to marry the woman I love"

"It's not legal Krillen, you can't marry below your class, and she is the lowest class there is!"

"Tomorrow father, it will all be different tomorrow"

"I can't believe this" the King muttered to himself, "my planet is going to shambles"

"Father, shut it! No one gives a toss what you think anymore!" Vegeta spat, emphasizing his point by slamming his fist down on the table, making Bulma jump in fright. "Krillen has been doing a better job running this planet then you ever did. You don't deserve the title of King. Hand it over to Krillen, and get the hell off our planet" he warned.

"Vegeta!" he boomed, standing up and looming over his eldest child. Vegeta too though, stood up, not intimidated in the least by his father's bigger stature "I'm not afraid of you" he remarked through gritted teeth, balling his fists by his sides to stop from swinging them at something or someone.

"You should be" the King replied, "I hold all the power over you"

"I'll kill you" Vegeta threatened, and went to launch himself at his father but both Krillen and Bulma pounced on him before he could.

"Don't Vegeta" Krillen loudly whispered into his older brothers ear, "Just calm down bro"

"Vegeta, please" Bulma held tightly onto her husbands arm, "Stop it"

Across the table, 18 buried her head in her hands and groaned, she had a sneaking suspicion that this was all her fault.

Growling in defeat, Vegeta stepped away from his father, "We're wasting our time here, let's go Bulma" Bulma didn't protest, she was scared of the mood Vegeta had worked himself into, there was no way in hell she was going to argue with him now. Besides, she to wanted to leave.

Krillen took a deep breath, walked around the table and stood in front of 18. "Are you ok?" he asked as he took her hands and noticed she was shaking.

She nodded in reply "yeah" she said quietly.

Looking past 18, Krillen scowled deeply at his father, "Don't worry about him sweetheart"

18 felt tear welling up in her eyes, and tried her best to blink them back, but failed. "Can we leave?" she asked wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Of course we can. What do you say we go visit your brother?" Krillen asked, knowing that 17 would be able to comfort her

***

Looking at the clock 18 buried her head in the pillow and sighed. It was 4.30am and she had not gotten one bit of sleep all night. Beside her, she could hear Krillens slow, steady breathing; he wouldn't wake for some time yet.

Today was such a big day for him. By far, the biggest day of his life. He was going to be crowned not only King, but also the youngest King ever to be crowned. It was a big day for her to, and as she lay in bed a thought dawned on her, a big scary though. If Krillen was going to be King, and she was marrying him, wouldn't that make her Queen?__

That was something she would not, and could not do. Sitting up in the bed, she raked her hands through her hair, "oh god" she muttered to herself. She suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

Climbing out of the bed, 18 flicked on the lamp, coating the room in a warm yellow glow, Krillen stirred, but he continued to sleep nonetheless. 18 found a piece of paper and a pen, and picked it up with a shaking hand and wrote Krillen a short note

_Krillen,_

_Something just occurred to me, I'm not sure I can marry you any more._

_I'm so sorry Krillen._

_All my love, _

_18_

With that, she slipped off her engagement ring, wiped tears off her face and left the room. She quietly walked the halls, even at this hour of the morning; she was not the only one up. People were busy preparing for the events that were going to take place today. Stopping by an archway, 18 noticed a detailed itinerary of everything that Krillen was going to be involved in today. Why was that posted all the way down here? 18 wondered as she again, began to walk.

Before long, she was out in the garden, it was still dark outside, but the air was warm. She slowed down in her walking speed, not in any hurry. Tears were flowing from her eyes and dripping off her chin, her insides felt like they were being torn to shreds. She had wanted so badly to marry Krillen.

After several more minutes of walking, she arrived at her destination. Stopping in her track, she fell to the ground, paying no heed to the pain that shot through her knees and up her legs. She continued to cry, loud heart wrenching sobs escaping from her throat.

"Mama" she whimpered, "I don't know what to do" she lost her voice to the tears for several minutes, but when she did find it again, she continued to talk. She knew her mother wasn't really here, but this memorial was as close as she was ever going to get. "I don't think I can marry Krillen anymore. I love him so much mama, but I can't be Queen. I just can't. What should I do?"

She waited, as if expecting some kind of a reply, but nothing happened – why would it? Turning her head, she looked at the next tomb, "Astrid?" she asked, "tell me what to do"

Again, she received no reply. Sighing deeply, 18 pulled her legs up to her chest, buried her head in her hands and cried. She was so lost in the emotion that she didn't hear anyone coming up behind her until they placed a hand on her shoulder.

"18, what are you doing?" came the voice of her brother, "you should be asleep"

"Leave me alone 17. I don't want to see you right now?"

"Hey," he sat down beside her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

17 sniggered and rolled his eyes, "18," he sounded very unconvinced, "I know that's not true. We're twins, I always know when something's up with you. Even at 4.30 in the morning when it shouldn't even be legal to be awake"

"I'm sorry" she muttered, "I…I just…I don't know what to do. Krillen wants me to marry him, but I can't be Queen. I just couldn't do it"

"Nonsense" 17 said, as he helped his sister up off the cold hard ground, ran his hand over both the top of his mother and Astrid's tombs then lead 18 down and out of the cemetery "You would make a great Queen"

"Don't lie to me 17, I've already been through enough shit this morning"

"I'm not lying. I know you have what it takes to be a wonderful Queen to our people"

"No I don't"

They walked back inside and 17 sat his sister down on one of the many chairs that adorned the palace halls. "Think about it, you survived all the crap Chi-chi put you through, you survived Krillen going to Namek, you survived our childhood, and all of those things are a damn lot harder than fulfilling the duties of a Queen"

"I'm not fit to be royal 17. I grew up in the harem. I can't be Royal, I just couldn't do it"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I just…I just know I would fail"

"Fail at what?" 17 asked, "Looking pretty? Going to fancy balls? Standing strong by your husband's side? How could you possibly fail at that? It's the King who does all that hard work, people love the Queen for doing virtually nothing" 17 said, stating facts which he believed to be true.

"It's not that simple"

"Yeah it is. And besides, do you know what you are going to do to Krillen back bailing on him. He loves you, and if you leave him, on the day of your wedding no less, you'll probably kill him"

"He'll get over it, over me" she said with a sigh, not picking her eyes up of the ground.

"I beg to differ dear sister. Think about what you are about to do, and if it's really worth throwing away" 17 said, and then standing up, he walked off down the hall.

18 sat for a few moments more, her mind racing. She finally decided that 17 was right. She loved Krillen more than she had ever loved anyone. She was her reason to live and without him she was nothing. She was scared, yes, but upon reasoning with herself, she came to realize that she was probably not the first ever person to be in this situation and be a little – or a lot, terrified. And that being afraid was not a valid reason to throw away the most special thing she had ever had in her life.

So, she stood up, walked all the way back to the room she shared with the man, who by the end of the day would be her husband, picked up her note and ripped it to pieces. Krillen would never know of the going on of this morning.

***

"Vegeta," Bulma growled, "get up!" she balled up her fist and punched him in the back, but it did little to wake him. Why was it, that on important days like this, Vegeta always had to sleep in? He'd probably only gotten up 20 minutes before his own wedding, knowing him.

"Vegeta" she called him again, "get your ass out of bed right now"

She was greeted with some sort of a response at least. Vegeta groaned and rolled over. "Fine! Sleep, see if I care. It's Krillen you're going to be disappointing, not me. When you decide to get up, I'll be in the shower!"

Several minutes after Bulma slammed the bathroom door very loudly, Vegeta rolled back onto his back and sat up. Why did she always have to pester him about his sleeping habits? They had done him fine for the past 26 years, now she came and told him that he wasn't doing it right. Sometimes she annoyed him, but he wouldn't trade her for anything.

Pushing himself up and off the bed, he slipped his robe on and opened the glass doors that lead to the balcony. It was a beautiful morning, and would surely be a beautiful day. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing outside for, but before long Bulma joined him. Dressed in a white bathrobe and her hair hill half wet, she wrapped her arms around Vegeta's waist and sighed deeply.

"What?" he asked, he sounded like he really didn't care, but Bulma knew better

"Nothing" she said.

"You're going to get dirty feet, it's not exactly clean out here" Vegeta stated, looking down at the ground.

Bulma had to smile; it was nice to know he cared. She knew he loved her, but caring was a completely different story, he seemed to have read the book though. "C'mon then. It's almost 8, you need to get in the shower," she said turning him around and pushing him back inside.

Once Bulma had pushed her husband across the room and into the shower, she got dressed, putting on a pair of white sweatpants, a black singlet top and a baggy white jumper. She had a brand new outfit selected for the coronation, and yet another for the wedding, but she had no need to put them on yet.

She quickly made the bed, and then pulled a big bag out of the cupboard under her dresser. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she called out to Vegeta that she would be back later and that she loved him, then walked out the door and headed down the hall.

***

Tarie lifted Bianca out of her crib and walked out into the living room. It was hard to believe that she was almost 4 months old.

"Did you sleep well, princess?" Tarie asked as she brushed the small girls jet-black hair out of her eyes. She was met with a chorus of baby noises as a reply and it made her smile.

Looking up and across the room, Tarie's eyes locked on to 17's and she smiled. He was standing in the kitchen making a cup of coffee.

"How are my two favorite girls this morning?" he asked

"On such a fantastic day, how could we not be fantastic?" Tarie asked in reply as she walked into the kitchen and kissed her man.

Today was also a big day for their little family. They were taking their tiny daughter out into public for the first time. Yesterday Tarie had gone shopping with 18 and Bulma and boy could those two shop. She had managed to get herself several lovely outfits as well as some great stuff for 17 and lots and lots of gorgeous little things for Bianca.

"Can you make me some coffee, sweetie?" Tarie asked 17 as she lay Bianca down on the change table to give her a fresh nappy.

"Sure thing" replied 17, just as there was a knock at the door.

"That'll be Bulma," said Tarie.

Sure enough, 17 opened the door, and there was Bulma. "Good morning Princess Bulma" 17 greeted, smiling like an idiot and bowing.

"You're so stupid 17," Bulma said as she playfully pushed his shoulder and stepped around him to get into the apartment. "Morning Tarie"

Tarie pushed her thick brown hair off of her face and smiled, "Morning," she replied, "Mind holding Bianca for a second?"

Before Bulma even had a chance to reply, Bianca was in her arms. Bulma watched as Tarie them proceeded to do about 10 things at once. And where exactly had 17 disappeared to?

"So," Bulma asked as she placed Bianca on the floor and passed her a stuffed toy "you ready?"

Tarie sighed, then a smile formed on her lips "I suppose I have to be"

"Great," Bulma said as she dropped her bag down on the table, unzipped it and watched as make up rolled all over the table and onto the floor. "Uh, shall we?" Bulma asked as she picked up the things on the floor before Bianca got to them.

Tarie sat down at the table, looking at the massive bag Bulma was rummaging through. "What have I gotten myself into?" she muttered

***

"Are you sure that's right?" Krillen asked as he tried to move his arm up in the stupid stiff jacket he was wearing

"Yes sire, I'm sure it's right" the young girl replied as she walked across the room to fetch the rest of Krillen attire.

He felt so very stupid in all of this traditional clothing. But it was just what had to be done if he was going to be crowned King. – There was no getting out of it.

"Sire," the girl caught his attention, "your cloak." She offered him a velvety red cloak with the royal insignia on it that was at least for times longer than he was. "Is this really necessary?" he asked

"Yes sire" the woman replied bluntly, she seemed to be getting fed up with his politeness and all around good mood.

"Excuse me miss, but if there is something about me you don't like, please, don't hesitate to let me know"

"No sire"

"And please, call me Krillen"

All was quiet for several minutes as the woman fussed around with Krillens clothing. He really did feel incredibly stupid, and here there was only himself and the grumpy lady in the room. Later on he would be on national T.V looking like this, when the Coronation Ceremony was beamed live to every television set on the planet.

He had gone to a rehearsal the night before, and there was so many things for him to remember. What to say. What to do. When to bow. Which way you had to move your arm or nod your head! Why oh why had he agreed to become King? He was perfectly happy living his life in his fathers shadow. Vegeta knew what he was doing when he rejected the throne, what had Krillen been thinking? Really, someone should have smacked him over the head or something!

"Sire," Krillen blinked upon hearing that woman calling him by that ridiculous name. "Yeah?" he asked.

"You can step down now".

Krillen did as he was told and jumped down of the slightly raised platform he had been standing on. It was just then the Vegeta walked into the room.

"Morning Vegeta" Krillen greeted his older brother. Vegeta nodded in reply as he stood up on the platform waiting for his suit fitting. Not that he was going to be wearing royal attire, but he needed a new suit nonetheless.

"You look like an idiot" Vegeta said with a smirk

"Shut up" Krillen muttered, he already knew he looked dumb.

"Did your woman sort out her problem?" Vegeta asked as he held out his arm to be measured.

"18? She has a problem?" Krillen asked, his voice taking on a more worried tone

"According to the woman she does, or rather, she did. I don't really know"

"Something was wrong with her? Where's Bulma?" Krillen asked.

"I'm going to do you a favor and not tell you" Vegeta replied as he jumped of the platform and waited for the young girl to come back with a suit for him.

Krillen looked confused. "What?" he asked, "Why not?"

"Because one, you look like a moron and you can't be seen running around the palace like that, and two your coronation starts in 45 minutes" he replied taking a black suit bag off the woman and walking out the room.

***

"18, please, calm down. You're gonna explode" 17 said with a smile

"I'm not gonna explode 17!" 18 snapped as she turned on her heels and began to walk the length of the room…again, "I'm just…nervous"

"No kidding" 17 said as he fiddled with the cuff of his new, expensive suit. The twins were standing in the living room of 17's small home – 17 holding Bianca in his arms – waiting for Tarie to emerge from the bathroom.

"Hey," 17 asked, "this isn't still about this morning is it?"

"What?" 18 shook her head. "No. This is about me worrying that something might go wrong to ruin Krillens big day"

"Nothing is going to go wrong, ok" 17 reassured his sister as he lay Bianca down in her pram, so they would be ready to leave for the Coronation as soon as Tarie was ready. Walking across the room, he went to pound on the bathroom door, only to have it swing open right in front of him.

"Before you break down the door, I'm ready" Tarie said with a smile. "So?" she asked, "how do I look"

"Eh," 17 shrugged his shoulders, "so so"

Tarie made a funny face and smacked 17 in the arm. He laughed at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was kidding," he said to her, "you look fabulous"

"I know," Tarie agreed she picked up Bianca's baby bag "Alright," she said linking her arm through 18's and smiling, "let's go"

***

"18!" Bulma called as she rushed across the room to greet her friend, careful not to trip on her long red dress. Coronations were a very formal event, and everyone was dressed for the occasion. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure really" 18 replied as she nervously played with the fabric of her dress.

Only Bulma, Vegeta, 18, 17 and Tarie, occupied the room, all the other guest were waiting out in the foyer. 18's eyes roamed around the room. It was made of a darkish colored wood and adorned with deep red furniture. There were three doors leading from the room. One they had just come through, one lead to the foyer where everyone else was waiting, and one, 18 wasn't to sure about.

"Bulma, is he in there?" 18 asked motioning towards the door. 

Bulma nodded in reply. "We aren't allowed in though." She was going to say something else, but at that moment, the King and Kahlia walked into the room. Everyone instantly ended their conversations.

"Who are they?" the King asked, looking towards 17.

"They are 18's family" Bulma supplied him with the answer, not wanting to cause a fuss.

"And what are they doing here?"

"We could ask the same about her" Vegeta joined the conversation, relating to Kahlia.

"Vegeta, I've had just about enough of you treating Kahlia this way, she is a part of your family whether you like it or not" The King sneered.

"Calm down dear" Kahlia pleaded, she really didn't want to have to deal with one of her husband's moods today.

"Calm down?" he repeated her statement

"Yes, calm down. Perhaps we should wait out in the hall until everyone is seated" Kahlia suggested.

"Perhaps we should" the King agreed, and with that they walked out the same door they came in

~

On the other side of the door across the room, Krillen sighed. He had heard every last thing that had just gone on.

"Sire," an older man spoke, getting his attention, "it's almost time"

Turning away from the door Krillen sighed deeply. He wanted to get this over and done with, so he could marry 18 and go to bed. "Ok," Krillen replied, "have the guests been seated?"

"Almost"

~

Kakkarot sat in his seat in the very second row. In from if him, sat Bulma, Vegeta, 18, 17 and Tarie. Leaning forward, he tapped 18 on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled at him. "Good afternoon Kakkarot" she greeted him.

"Hi 18" he replied.

"Glad you could make it for Krillens big day. I assume you are staying for the wedding?"

"Nothing could keep me away"

Suddenly everything went quiet, the doors were pushed open, and the King and Kahlia strode into the room. Kahlia sat down beside Vegeta – much to his distaste. The King however, continued on up the stairs were he stood behind the podium and began to prepare himself. The television broadcast wasn't due to start for another 5 minutes.

To his left, sat a big chair, the seat Krillen would be sitting in when he was crowned King in only 30 short minutes. To his right, sealed inside a glass case, were the crown jewels. Consisting of the crown, which had been polished and all the jewels had been shined, a scepter, which also was adorned with many fancy and rare jewels, a brooch that displayed the royal insignia and was over a thousand years old, and several other pieces of very expensive and fancy paraphernalia. These jewels were used only on occasions such as this, and were not the ones worn and used during everyday life. As soon as the coronation was over, they would go right back where they came from.

Above the door to the room, sat a long gallery, and in it stood a choir, gently singing a song witch consisted of no words, just many notes. It wasn't very good, but it beat listening to nothing at all.

18 sat nervously in her seat, Bulma holding tightly onto her hand for moral support, "Calm down 18. He's gonna do just fine"

"I know, but still…" 18 trailed off and finished with a sigh.

All of a sudden, trumpet music filled the air, making both Bulma and 18 jump. It was so loud, and signified the beginning of the television broadcast.

A man with a microphone began to talk to the camera, and effectively, to all of Vegeta-sei, but he was all the way down the other end of the room and no one at the front could distinguish what he was saying. They didn't really care anyway.

Soon the host finished talking, and the camera changed to the King, standing a top the staircase. He tapped the microphone then proceeded to address his people for the last time.

"Men, women and children of Vegeta-sei, today marks a monumental day in our history and you should all feel honored to be witnessing such an event. Today, I will hand my throne, title and all rights to the Kingdom over to my last-born child, Prince Krillen. Only minutes from now, a new era on Vegeta-sei will begin. I know in my heart the my son will be an outstanding leader to all Sayians – and for the duration of his reign, he will endeavor – such as I have – to do his very best to serve you, his people.

I hope that you will all show the same love and respect to my son that you have shown to me, and make me proud to have ruled over people as wonderful as you all are." The King waited while the audience to the Coronation applauded him, "Well, without further ado, I present you with your new King, Krillen"

Everyone in the room stood up and turned their gaze to the end of the room. The doors swung open, and in walked Krillen – feeling like an absolute idiot dressed in all this royal attire. He made sure to stop and shake hands of several people, and before he knew it, he was standing before his family. He firmly shook Vegeta hand, and Vegeta flashed his little bother a very rare smile. His eyes locked onto 18's and he smiled brightly at her. She looked so proud of him, and it filled him with the confidence he needed to continue his journey up the stairs. Mouthing the words 'I love you' to her, he turned away and continued. Upon arriving at the top of the stairs, he bowed to his father and everyone resumed their seats.

The King waited for a few more seconds, and then continued to talk again. "My son is now going to take an oath, in which he will promise to live for and serve his people. If you would all stand, clasp you hands and bow your head" he King asked, and everyone did as instructed, himself included.

Krillen stepped up the podium, and be carefully begun to recite the oath, trying desperately not to forget a line.

"I Prince Krillen, son to King Vegeta the 4th, hereby swear to honor, serve and act in the best interest of the people of Vegeta-sei. I promise to act on behalf of them at all times and put their needs and desires before my own, for the greater good of our people. I fully understand the role I am about to take on, and do so with great pride and joy." He said looking down on the people he was about to become the ruler of, and shaking like a leaf.

People lifted their heads and again, applauded Krillen. He smiled down at them, well, he was looking at 18 and smiling, no doubt his grinning face was being shown on TV's all over the planet at the moment.

Stepping back to the podium, the King spoke as the King, for one of the last times. "Now, my son will take his seat, and I shall crown in your new King"

An odd hush fell over the crowd, and from her spot on in the very front of the room 18 was sure she was about to pass out from nerves. She watched as Krillen took his seat and the King unlocked the case the royal jewels were in. This was it; this was the moment of truth.

Placing the crown upon his head, attaching the brooch to his cloak, and holding the scepter in his left hand, the King approached his son. "Good luck, son" he whispered to him, before he turned back to both the immediate audience in the room, and the wider audience on the T.V, and spoke to the people of Vegeta-sei for the last time, as their King.

"As I place on your cloak, this brooch," he said as he unpinned the brooch from his cloak and pinned it on his sons, "which carries the emblem of Vegeta-sei, I pass over to you, the right to our planet". Next he handed him the scepter and again spoke "as I place this scepter in your left hand, I place also in your hands the well being and care of your people, and the trust that you will do your very best to live your life with their best interest at heart" Finally the King lifted the crown off of his head, and placed it on Krillens. Straight away, Krillen noticed how heavy it was, and it almost slipped right of his head. "And Finally, I place the crown of Vegeta-sei upon you head, and with it I give to you the rights, responsibilities and all claims to your fair planet. From this day fourth, you shall govern all Sayians, make and uphold all laws, lead you people into battle fairly and justly and act of behalf of your people before you act for yourself. Do you fully understand what you are about to take on?"

Krillen shut his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath, after this, he was almost the King. "I understand, and I promise to be the best King I know how to be"

Even though Vegeta knew that his son didn't want him around, he still wore an enormously proud smile on his aged face. Now he knew how his father had felt when he brought him into power. "Well then, Prince Krillen, will you please rise and bow down on your right knee?" he asked as he took Krillens scepter off him.

Standing up, Krillen promptly fell to his right knee and bowed his head, he had never been so nervous in all of his 20 years. Raising the scepter just above Krillen, Vegeta spoke, "Kneel Prince Krillen," he said as he tapped Krillens left shoulder with the scepter, "In the name of the father, the son and the Holy spirit. With the scepter to represent your people, I hereby crown you King Krillen the first of Vegeta-sei. You may rise, and be received by your people"

Opening his eyes, the sound of applause filled his ear, yet Krillen did not move. He was over whelmed. He was King. King Krillen, he smiled liking the ring his new title had. Finally after almost a full minute, he stood up, and everyone below him bowed. Stepping up to the podium, he cleared his throat and prepared for his fist act as King.

"You may all rise. As my father spoke before, today dawns a new era on Vegeta-sei. There are certain laws this planet has had in place for thousands of years, these laws, I feel have become highly outdated and not only demean our people, but disgrace us as a race. I am talking about the laws of class Vegeta-sei employs. These laws state that a man or woman born into poverty must die in poverty and equally ensures that the rich will always be rich. Today, before you, my people, and as my first act as your King, I am abolishing all such laws. From this day fourth, not a single Sayian will live a day without food, water and shelter. Slavery is to be abolished, giving every one the opportunity to live their life the way they so wish, without the threat of being exterminated by others."

Down below him, 17, 18 and Tarie all looked at each other, their mouths gaping open. Krillen had just set them free once and for all. They could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Throwing his arms around his sisters neck, 17 didn't try to stop the tears the flowed down his cheeks, 18 too, let herself cry. She had never imagined this day would actually come.

"From this day onward, if a man or woman wishes to marry above or below their former class, they may do so, without fears of punishment or persecution. They may raise a family, send their children to school, and shop where they so wish. On this note, I thank you all for accepting me so warmly and graciously as your leader, I know that together we are going to be able to work towards a better and more prosperous Vegeta-sei"

~

Several minutes later the television broadcast finished, and as soon as Krillen had put the jewels back in their cabinet and taken off his damn cloak and jacket, he practically flew down the stairs, picked 18 up out of her seat and spun her around in circles. Then pulled her close to him in a tight embrace.

"I'm so proud of you" she said, her face streaky from where her tears and washed away her make up.

"Hey, don't cry" she soothed, holding her close.

"Krillen, that was awesome!" Kakkarot called from the next row. Untangling himself from 18, Krillen leaned over the row of seats and shook hands with each member of Kakkarot's family. "Thanks for coming Kakkarot" he said, smiling from ear to ear the entire time. He couldn't remember feeling this good in a long long time.

"I can't believe what Krillen just did 18" Tarie said, also unable to stop smiling. She was referring to the abolishment of the slavery laws, "Did you know about it?"

18 shook her head, "I had no idea. But can you believe it? We're free, we're really free!"

"You're husband has really really outdone himself this time, we owe him forever. Just think, now we can give Bianca the proper baptism she deserves"

"He's not my husband yet 17" 18 rolled her eyes as she watched people slowly filing out the room, and Krillen at the door, shaking each of their hands as they left. He was going to be such a great King, and husband.

"No, but only 3 more hours and he will be"

"See 18, I told you nothing would go wrong. Krillen did excellent up there" Bulma said, linking her arm through 18's and pulling her towards the door where the last few people were exiting. Leaving only Krillen and his family in the huge Coronation room.

"He did didn't he?" 18 agreed with a smile.

Krillen shut the doors, closing them off from the rest of the guests and the media, and sunk to the ground with a smile, "That was so horrible" he admitted, "I thought it was never gonna end"

Crouching down beside him, 18 ran her hands through Krillens soft black hair and smiled at him, "But it did end, and we are all so proud of you. Aren't we?" she was greeted with everyone nodding their heads up and down in agreement with her statement.

Krillen smiled; glad to have such a loving family around him on such a big day in his life. Unfortunately though, he had to leave them. "As much as I would love to stay here everyone, would you believe I had a photo shoot?"

"You do?" 18 asked.

Leaning over and kissing her cheek he replied, "I do. But I shall see you only a few hours from now, and then this day will become perfect"

***

"18, are you still in there?" Bulma called pounding on the bathroom door, she knew full well 18 was indeed on the other side of the door, but she asked anyway.

"What do you want?" 18 replied happily from the other side.

"I want you to come out of there"

"Fine" the bathroom door swung open and 18 walked out, dressed in a fluffy white bathrobe, her hair still dripping wet. "Happy now?" she asked.

"Very"

Bulma pushed 18 across the room and sat her down in front of the vanity. When redecorating this room, Bulma had made sure that she not only had an excessively long make up desk, but almost a whole wall of shelves to stack her many other hair and make up accessories on.

"Now, what should we do?" Bulma mused to herself, placing her finger on her chin.

"You don't know?" 18 looked at Bulma in the mirror and raised an eyebrow.

"I think curls would look nice. What do you think?"

"I think…sure, why not"

So, Bulma set about rolling 18's hair up in curlers and while they were heating, applied her make up. The wedding was in a little under 2 hours, and Bulma still needed to get ready herself. She wondered what Vegeta, Krillen and Kakkarot were up to down the hall. As it seemed, 18 was thinking the same thing as well, because she asked the exact same question Bulma was about to.

"I wonder what the boys are up to?"

Bulma had to laugh, "I have no idea. Now make sure you keep your eyes open while I apply the eyeliner"

"You know Bulma, I am perfectly capable of doing my own makeup"

"I know, but I can do it better" Bulma winked and replied.

Some time later, there was a knock on the door and Vegeta stepped in. "Afternoon" he greeted the two women. "I need to speak with you" he said, looking at Bulma.

"Oh, ok" Bulma replied and she stepped out into the hall with her husband.

"What's up?" she asked.

"The flowers are here, and we have no idea what to do with them". Bulma snorted with laugher and let Vegeta lead her down the halls to the large room where the small ceremony was being held.

"Hey, it's Bulma, our problems are over" Krillen cheered as he stood up and smiled.

"What's the problem, I've left your bride in my room, only half ready"

"We don't know how arrange those" Krillen pointed to a bunch of flowers and Bulma rolled her eyes.

"You men are so useless. All you have to do, is take 3 pink roses and 3 white roses and place them in these vases, then put the vases where you think they look nice, ok. It's not very hard"

***

"So, how's it feel?" Kahlia asked as he ran her hand up and down her husbands arm

"How does what feel?"

"To be regular old Vegeta, minus the King"

With a sigh, he took his wife in his arms and kissed her. "It wont be for long dear. Now I have passed on my title here, we can rule you planet together, as husband and wife"

"Y- you really want to?" Kahlia asked. They had talked over this, and she had gotten the impression that her husband didn't want to rule another planet.

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't"

"You sure?"

"Kahlia, I am as sure about this as I am sure that I love you" he smiled as he again kissed her and wrapped his big arms around her much more petite frame. "That is, if you'll have me"

"We would be honored" Kahlia said as she untangled herself from Vegeta and began to rummage through her suitcase.

"What are you doing? We are leaving soon"

"Vegeta dear, it's almost time for Krillens wedding, and I'm not properly dressed"

"We are not going to my sons wedding" he said, his voice dropping to a more intimidating tone. Kahlia however, was not scared of him; she wouldn't back down just to make him happy.

"Yes we most certainly are, so get ready and dressed"

"We are not having anything to do with my sons stupid decisions" he stated as he sat on the bed. Kahlia sat beside him and shook her head.

"You know better than anyone that Krillen is not a stupid man. And anyone can plainly see how much he loves 18"

"I don't care. I know of her past, she is dirty. Not fit to be royalty"

"Vegeta, I never had children. But even I can see that this is not the way to treat them"

"They have grown, they don't need me and they don't want me"

"Vegeta. Pushing them away is not going to help fix this. Only time will heal their wounds, but you have to be there, you have to be a part of their life. Or else this is never going to get better. I know it hurts, and I know you're upset, but you need to keep going with this. Trust me, it's the only way"

"No," he bowed his head and sighed, "I tried, and I failed. I'm not going to burden my children anymore"

Kahlia balled her fist, resisting the urge to slap Vegeta. "Don't say that" she scolded him. "Your children need you regardless of how old they have gotten. They will always need you. They just feel betrayed right now, and how can you blame them. You didn't handle yourself how you should have when you left to marry me. But persevere, make yourself a part of their life, and they'll forgive you. Just give them time."

Running his hand through his hair, Vegeta sighed, "Fine. If you feel about it so strongly, then we will go"

"Thank you," Kahlia smiled, "You would of regretted missing this day in years to come anyway"

***

"Hey, can I come in?" Tarie called, as she knocked on the door to Bulma's room.

"Is Krillen with you?" Bulma asked, a big grin on her face.

"No"

"Then come on in"

Tarie pushed open the door and stepped into the room where Bulma and 18 were just finishing getting ready.

"Well, what do you think?" Bulma asked, motioning towards 18 with her eyes.

Tarie smiled widely and hugged her best friend. "18, you look so amazingly beautiful. Krillen is going to die when he sees you!"

"He better not" 18 replied as she picked up her shoe.

"But seriously, you look amazing" Tarie commented again as she looked 18 up and down. Her dress was simple, yet stunning at the same time. It was a long flowing white dress that hung all the way to the ground, it had thin straps and the back off the dress puffed out just a little bit. On top of her perfectly curled hair sat a tiara with a sheer white veil attached to it.

"I'm so nervous" 18 admitted as she sat down to slip on her shoes.

"Don't be. Krillen loves you, and everything is going to be great" Bulma reassured her, and Tarie nodded in agreement.

"Are you ready?" asked Tarie.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be. Let's go do this" 18 said as Tarie handed her a bouquet of pink and white roses.

***

"Now you know how it feels" Vegeta taunted his little brother from his seat in the front row.

"Shut up Vegeta" he retorted as he waited nervously for his bride to arrive.

"Krillen, this is gonna work out great" Kakkarot said. He was acting as Krillens best man today. Looking towards the door, Krillen smiled, only minutes from now, 18 would be here.

It was only a small gathering. Consisting of 15 of their closest friends and family. It was intimate, and exactly what they both wanted.

17 looked at Krillen and grinned. He was nervous, that was good, it meant he was looking forward to marrying 18. If he ever did anything to hurt her, 17 swore he would kill Krillen. On his lap, Bianca giggled as he bounced her up and down on his knees. Becoming a dad was by far the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"She's cute" Nison said from his spot next to 17.

"You want to hold her?" 17 asked, he really wasn't sure if Nison had ever held Bianca before of not.

"No, no that's ok mate"

"It's ok" 17 urged him and placed his daughter in the lap of his best friend. "She loves to be held, and I have to go wait for 18 anyway"

Nison smiled at Bianca, she sure was cute with her black hair and green eyes, "Fine, I'll watch her for a few minutes"

"Great," 17 said as he got up and walked down the makeshift isle, then turned and came back, "If you drop her, I'll kill you" he said with a wink, then walked away.

Nison gulped and tightening his grip on the infant

~

"Oh my god" 17 muttered as he stopped in his tracks. His sister had just rounded the corner, and he had lost his words. As she got closer though, he was able to string a coherent thought together and he smiled proudly.

"Well?" 18 asked as she stopped in front of him and spun around, "what do you think?"

"I think, I don't know what to say"

"How about you say she looks stunning?" Tarie suggested as she kissed 17 on the cheek

"18, you look stunning"

"Thanks" 18 replied quietly, already blinking back tears

Bulma pushed her hair off of her face and carefully smoothed out the fabric of her pale purple bridesmaid dress. "Well, come on then. The King is inside waiting for his Queen" she said.

Tarie left the three out in the hall to take her seat, warn everyone that the ceremony was about to start, and save her daughter from Nison.

18 took a deep breath and linked her arm through 17's. 

"Good luck sis" 17 said giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He was nervous too. He had always been the man to take care of 18, now he was going to hand her over to someone else. Would he look after her the way 17 had all these years?

Flashing 18 one last smile, Bulma turned and walked into the room the ceremony was being held in. She walked up the isle and grinned wickedly at Krillen. He looked like he was about to wet himself. "Don't worry," she whispered as she took her place at the front of the room

The music changed and everyone stood up and turned their attention to the far end of the room where 17 was standing, and by his side, 18 – radiating nothing but pure beauty. Krillen felt his mouth go dry and his hands go numb. Was this really real? Could he really be here, living this fantasy that he had dreamed of since the day he first laid eyes on 18

As she walked up the isle, Krillen forced himself out of his trance and stepped forward. He briefly shook hands with 17, then took 18's hand and led her to where Bulma, Kakkarot and the priest were waiting. He could feel her hand shaking, and squeezed it tighter – reassuring her as best he could.

18 kept telling herself to breath as the priest began to speak. Welcoming family and friends to this joyous occasion. Turning her head to look at Krillen, she smiled at him. A true happy smile – hopefully the kind of smile that would be on her pretty face for many years to come.

Krillen turned to face 18, and she did the same. As he took her hands in his, Krillen fought back the urge to kiss her there and then. Settling on a smile instead. She was crying, and he wanted so badly to reach out and wipe her tears away, but he couldn't. Not yet.

"Sire, King Krillen. Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" asked the priest

Without a moment's hesitation, Krillen replied, "I do"

"And 18, do you take Krillen, King of our fair planet, to be you lawfully wedded husband?"

18 had to collect herself and overcome the tears before she replied, but when she did, her voice was fully of confidence and joy "I do"

Bowing his head briefly, the priest smiled. "Would the rings please be presented?" he asked. Bulma and Kakkarot passed the rings over, then stepped back and watched as two of their best friends became one.

"With this ring, I thee wed" Krillen spoke proudly as he slipped the gold wedding band onto 18's finger, then gently kissed the back of her hand. "In marring you, I swear to honor, love and protect you until the end of my days and beyond. Nothing bad will happen to you when I'm around; I swear it on my life. I live for you, because without you, I have no reason to live." He recited his personally written vows with a smile.

As 18 placed her ring on Krillens finger, she couldn't help the tears cascading down her cheeks. "With this ring I thee wed. I promise to love and cherish you until the end of time. I will stand by your side, as your faithful wife, in everything you set out to do. And remember, that where ever you are, you're never alone, because today I am giving my soul to you"

"If there is anyone here today who has any reason why these two should not be wed, will you please speak now or forever hold you peace" the priest asked.

Closing her eyes, 18 prayed that the next voice she heard would be the priest – that no one would have any objections to her living out her life in pure bliss. She was granted her wish, as no one in the room spoke up with any objects to the matrimony.

The priest looked at both Krillen and 18 with a smile before he spoke again. "As no one can see any reason why you should not be wed. I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride"

Krillen didn't need to be told twice. He threw his arms around 18's neck and kissed her with more passion and love then he had ever kissed her before. "I love you so much" he muttered as he briefly pulled away before kissing her again.

Everyone in the room stood up and applauded the family's newest couple. Everyone knew that this was a union that was going to last forever. Nothing – nothing at all would ever be able to break these two up.

Finally, Krillen let his wife out of his tight embrace – wife, now there was a word he would never get tired of using. Bulma was the next to lock 18 in her grip. "Congratulations" she squealed, she just loved weddings, they brought out the best in people.

"Krillen," Krillen turned when he heard his name being called. It was Kahlia calling him and Krillen wondered what she could possibly want with him, "That was beautiful" she said quietly with a smile, "18 looks stunning"

"I know" Krillen agreed.

"Thank you, Krillen," Kahlia said her voice full of heart. "For being such a man about this. I know it mustn't be easy for you, and I thank you so much for not shutting him out all together. Believe it or not, he loves you and knows what he did was wrong. He needs your forgiveness so badly right now" Kahlia pleaded with her youngest stepchild.

"But where was he Kahlia?" Krillen asked, "Where was he when we needed him? Who knows? He needs to learn that if he wants to win us back, he needs to put in the hard work and start being the father we all need him to be"

"I'll be sure to pass that on. Now go, enjoy you special day" Kahlia told him, then turned and walked toward the back of the room where her husband was hovering around the door.

"That was beautiful" Tarie said as she handed Bianca over to 17, then wrapped 18 in a hug, "I'm so happy for you"

18 wiped the remnants of the tears from her face and smiled, "Thanks. I can't believe I'm really married to him. It seems to good to be true"

~

Some time later, the small group had moved to another room in the palace where the small reception was being held. Krillen stood on and watched proudly as his wife floated around the dance floor with her brother. The smile on her face would be forever embedded into his mind.

Krillen knew that today was more than her wedding day. To 18, this day symbolized everything she had fought against so hard, not to be. Today she won and showed everyone that she could be whatever she wanted to be, regardless of where she came from or what she went through.

Walking across the room, Krillen cut in from 17, and began to glide his wife around the room.

"I love you" 18 told him, smiling through tears that were threatening to fall.

"It's alright" Krillen reassured her, as he softly kissed her, "It's ok. I love you so much"

They danced for what seemed like hours, but was in fact only minutes – to lost in each other to even acknowledge their friends and family. Right now, in their world, they were the only two who existed, and that suited them just fine.

The song ended and a round of applause took its place. Blinking, the newlyweds looked around, they hadn't even noticed everyone intently watching them. Embarrassed, 18 buried her head in Krillens shoulder and laughed.

Krillen took this as his opportunity to thank everyone, and produced a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket. Clearing his throat as he unfolded the paper, he began to read.

"I'm sorry if this isn't very long or good, but as I'm sure you're all well aware, I've had quite a full day today and speech writing wasn't scheduled into my agenda. First and foremost, I want to thank my beautiful wife 18, because without her, we wouldn't all be here to celebrate today. I want to say thanks to you all for being here to help 18 and I celebrate the start of our life together – it really means a lot to us that you are all here to share this special day with us. Kakkarot, for being both my best mate and my best man, hopefully someday I'll be able to return the favor. 17, for looking after 18 for all those years, I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough, and for letting me be the one who will take care of her from now on, I promise I wont let you down. Vegeta, I know we haven't always gotten along, but Namek changed all that, you helped me to see just how lucky I am to have what I have and to have the family I have, and I truly thank you for that"

He paused and looked across at his brother, who looked back and flashed him a small, but acknowledging smile.

Bulma walked across the room, holding a camera in her hands. "I don't want my picture taken Bulma" 18 protested.

"Yes you do" Bulma argued with her

"Yeah, come on babe, you look to beautiful not to have your picture taken"

Rolling her eyes, 18 knew she was beat, so she let Krillen take hold of her and Bulma snapped the shot. "Beautiful" she said with a smile, "That's going to be a great one. Now we need a big group shot"

"More photos?" 18 complained as Bulma walked off to gather everyone she wanted in the shot.

"You're so beautiful" Krillen said, as he kissed 18 for the millionth time that day.

"How are you feeling?" asked 18, running her hands through Krillens hair

"Exhausted" replied Krillen resting his head on her shoulder.

18's eyes scanned the walls and came to rest on the clock, it was getting late, it was almost 8 O'clock, and Krillen had been up since 5 that morning. "We'll head off soon ok" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sway to the gentle music floating throughout the room.

"No, this is your special day, I want you to enjoy it with everyone"

"Krillen, I have enjoyed it with everyone, but now, I want to enjoy it with just you"

Krillen smiled, understanding what she meant.

Bulma returned then, with 17, Tarie, Bianca, Vegeta, Kakkarot and her mother in tow. "Alright guys, mum is going to take the photo, so everybody group up and say cheese"

The whole group quickly got into a big group pose, and after much persuasion, Bulma finally got Vegeta smile. Krillen stood in the middle, holding 18 in his arms, and everyone else was huddled around them wearing big happy smiles on their faces. This was a joyous occasion, and everyone was making it a day to remember.

"Say cheese!" Bunny called from behind the camera

"Cheese!" they all cried happily as Bunny clicked the button and the flash blinded them for a second.

"That was great, you can move now" Bunny informed them. Everybody did move, but Krillen – he stayed right where he was.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, family friends" Krillen spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "18 and I would like to thank you all for being here today, but it is – I'm afraid, time for us to leave"

Bulma wiped a tear from her eye and looked across at Vegeta. He may have been a bit of a jerk at times, but she loved him more than anything. "Bye guys!" she called out, then began to clap. Everyone else soon followed suit.

"Bye" 18 said with a wave, as Krillen carried her out of the room, away from her past, away from her demons and away from everything wrong in her life. Towards her future – a future which consisted of nothing but happiness, surprises and fun. And most of all, consisted of Krillen.

~_The End_

***

A/N: Well, there you have it – the last chapter of And Then You'll Know. What did you all think? I really really really hope that you all enjoyed it and it was the outcome you were hoping for.

There will be a short Epilogue coming in the next few days, and also with that will be the rather long list of thank-you's and whatnot.

It really is a weird feeling knowing that this is finally complete, as it's been such a big part of my life for the past 18 months. But a new story shall begin soon, and I know that I am going to enjoy that one as much as I have enjoyed this one.

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this. It is only my 2nd story with multiple chapters. My first A/U, my first shot at writing Chi-chi, Bulma, Goku and Vegeta as major character and my first try and making and elaborating my own characters and I have received nothing but positive feedback from you all and for that I thank you so much – without all our your kind, ongoing support And Then You'll Know would not have become what it did.

Thank you all so much

~Deadly Beauty


	47. Epilouge And Thankyou's

**Disclaimer;** I don't own DBZ. I only own the plot for this story. If you wish to turn this into a movie, by all means, go ahead. I call dibs on all the royalties though!  
  
**A/N; **Well, here it is...the last post you are going to see in this monster sized piece of writing. It's longer than I planned it to be. But I'm sure you won't mind. Just so you know, this takes place two years after the actual story finishes. Well, with all else said I guess it's just left for me tell you to enjoy. Enjoy.  
  
Deadly Beauty  
  
**And Then You'll Know**  
  
**Epilogue**  
  
_Since he first exploded into our headlines 2 and a half years ago, Krillen, then Prince – now King has barely had a moment to himself. But would he have it any other way? In interviews with the planets top newspapers, magazines and journals he has repeatedly stated that ruling our fair planet has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of his young life. And what a life it has been. At only 22 years of age, Krillen is our youngest ever King, fought in the epic battle with Frieza and has just released his first book which is fittingly titled 'My Life' and deals with his childhood, the loss of his mother to Frieza, the part he played in Friezas defeat, his secret romance with his now wife – Queen 18 and his sisters struggle with insanity.  
  
He is defiantly a 'King of the People' constantly appearing at function and events around the planet, always with his beautiful and now very pregnant wife by his side and a bright smile on his face. Unlike many other King and Queen duo's Vegeta-sei has seen in its long and rich past, this couple is destined. Anyone can plainly tell from their many interviews, both as a couple and individually, photo shoots and actions when on their many outings in Vegeta-sei that they are very much in love and will continued to be so for many years to come.  
  
And speaking of love, how much do we all love Queen 18? In the beginning when her past was revealed, there was much debate of whether she would be a fit Queen for our people or not. But now, 2 years on, does anyone even remember that she rose up from a palace slave and before that, that she was a harem girl? Even further, does anyone even care? We have been graced with an amazing woman in our Queen.  
  
Unlike previous Queens, she can be frequently spotted around town with her best friend, Princess Bulma, who also frequents headlines in some of the planets top scientific publications.  
  
This fresh new monarchy we are living under is such a breath of fresh air, is it not? In recent surveys conducted by this magazine (Vegeta-sei Weekly) 92% of the survey participants stated that Vegeta-sei is now run and governed more that 60% better than under the previous ruler King Vegeta the 4th. The planet has a fresh new vibe, and King Krillen bid to wipe out homelessness and poverty are largely working. By concentration on the worst areas and building homes, shelters and schools he is ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live the best life they possibly can. And isn't that what we all really want?  
  
Anyone who may have spotted the King around town during the last few weeks will have noticed that he has been unable to wipe a smile of his face. You may ask why he has been so unusually happy as of late? Well, the answer is simple. Any day now, he is going to become a first time dad. We are going to be graced with the first child of the new reign. Both King Krillen and Queen 18 chose not to have the sex of the baby revealed, in an attempt to protect the privacy of a child that is not even born yet.  
  
And with parents such as themselves, who can blame them? We as a nation love them and worship them. We can't get enough of our King and Queen. But isn't it about time we say enough is enough, at least for a little while and let them enjoy the miracle of birth on their own?_

__  
  
Krillen sat slumped down in a chair, only half conscious of what was going on around him. He wanted sleep to come to him so badly, but at the same time, he was afraid that if he shut his eyes he would wake and find this all a dream.  
  
He was saved from sleep by a tiny knocking on the door, which was shortly followed by a much louder, stronger one. Hauling himself from the chair, Krillen quickly visited the bathroom to brush his hair and splash his face with cool water, to at least give himself the appearance of being awake. He then walked back across the room and pulled open the door.  
  
"Shhh" he indicated for his guests to be quiet as he ushered them into the room and gently closed the door behind them.  
  
"Mama" "Hush Bianca" Tarie said to her two year old daughter as she picked her up and sat her on her hip. "How are you?" 17 asked, placing a hand on his brother in laws shoulder and flashing him a bright smile, "it's a pretty tough time isn't it" "17, I don't know how you managed to stay so calm and collected through it all" "Calm and collected? He was insane" Tarie informed Krillen with a smile.  
  
"Mama" Bianca piped up again. "What is it darling?" she asked as she smoothed the girls black hair back off her face "Hungie" Bianca said Tarie blinked, "Hungry? How can you possibly be hungry, you just ate lunch 5 minutes ago". She was greeted with a blank stare, Bianca obviously hadn't gotten a word of what she had just said. She was forced to dumb-down her sentence for the sake of her child. "Later ok" she said  
  
On the other side of the room, 18 stirred and rolled over. She could hear quiet voices and forced her eyes open. A million different thoughts rushed through her head as everything quickly came back to her. Looking around the room, she spotted the people who had been responsible for waking her. Pushing her hair back off her face, she rather loudly cleared her throat, effectively getting the attention of all the adults in the room.  
  
As expected, Krillen was first across the room, where he greeted his wife with a long passionate kiss. "I'm so proud of you" "Where is she?" 18 asked, her voice faint and weak "The nurse took her to the med wing to run some tests, but don't worry, it's completely normal and she assured me that she is perfect in every way" 18 sunk back into the soft pillow upon hearing that good news. Her daughter was healthy. Perfect and healthy. "When can I see her?" she asked "How about I go and get her?" 18 nodded in agreement and yawned. She needed more sleep, it had been a long hard night for her.  
  
"18" Tarie placed Bianca on the floor, but the toddler promptly scrambled her way up onto the bed and snuggled up next to her father, who was seated on the other side of the large bed. "How are you feeling?" "Sore" 18 nodded as she replied, "sleepy," she continued, "sore" Tarie nodded in agreement as she to sat on the bed. "But the hard part is over now. What does she look like?"  
  
18 shrugged as she stifled yet another yawn, reached over and poured herself a glass of water, "I barley got a glance at her before they rushed her off down the hall to get cleaned up. And that was," 18 looked across at the clock on her bedside table, "A whole hour ago. I hope Krillen brings her back" "He will, he's the King, he can do what ever he wants" 17 pointed out.  
  
18 tipped her head to look at her brother and smiled. If only he knew how wrong he was. Krillen most certainly could not do what ever he wanted. He made the rules which also meant he had to follow the rules. "You're an idiot" 18 pointed out, her voice containing almost no emotion. 17 playfully looked taken aback. "Well I never!" he commented, "my own sister? Calling me an idiot, I never thought I'd see the day" "Well you just did" 18 said with a weary smile  
  
17 smiled proudly at his sister. She had been though a lot in her 22 years of life, and now to see her this happy. She deserved this.  
  
18 heard the door creaking open, and she seemingly lost all interest in everything else around her. As the door was pushed open further, 18 laid her eyes on the small plastic crib Krillen was pushing, and in it a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket  
  
Krillen wore such a proud smile on her face and 18 couldn't stop the tears the misted up her eyes or the smile that lit up her face. Tarie and 17 stood up and moved to the side as Krillen approached them and sat down by 18's side.  
  
"She's beautiful, honey" Krillen congratulated his wife as he picked his tiny daughter up out of the crib and placed her in her mothers waiting arms. 18's breath caught in her throat and was released as one big happy sob. She gazed down at the tiny miracle in her arms. The tiny perfect sleeping miracle who nestled closer to her mother for warmth.  
  
18 reached out and ran her hand along her daughter's soft head, which was covered in a tuft of soft blonde hair and smiled. This was her child, the result of her and Krillens love for each other, and 18 had never laid her eyes on anything more perfect. They had decided that if they had a girl, they would name her Marron. Unlike the name 17 and Tarie had given their daughter – it didn't have any special significance, they just liked it.  
  
Princess Marron, it had quite a ring to it.  
  
"18, she is beautiful" 17 said as he looked down at his little niece. 18 didn't look up, she couldn't tear her eyes away from her baby. "Thank you 17" she muttered. Then decided that Krillen would probably want to hold his baby girl. "Krillen, hold your daughter" 18 told him with a smile, and Krillen gladly accepted.  
  
18 snuggled down under the pillows and turned to look at Tarie. She was whispering something into her daughter's ear, while looking at 18 and smiling. Bianca waited until her mother had finished talking then crawled across the bed and pecked 18 on the cheek, "'atchulations aunny 18" she spoke and she wrapped her arms around 18's neck as best she could in a sloppy hug  
  
18 smiled and kissed her 2-year-old niece on the cheek. "Thank you" she said, her voice full of gratitude. She was going to say something to Tarie, but a knocking on the door interrupted her.  
  
Bulma pushed open the door, her face hidden behind a huge bunch of flowers, which she quickly pushed into Vegeta's hands so she could embrace her friend. "18, congratulations! As soon as I found out I just had to come straight down. Where is she?" With her eyes, 18 motioned to Krillen. Who was so mesmerized by his daughter that he hadn't even noticed his brother and sister in law walk into the room.  
  
"Krillen" Bulma called his name, which elicited no response. "Krillen!" she called again, her voice louder and more demanding this time. 18 had to laugh when Krillens head snapped up and he almost jumped up out of the seat. "Hi Bulma" he said, feeling like a total idiot. "Oh my gosh guys, she is so beautiful. Have you named her yet?" "Marron" Krillen and 18 replied at the same time "Hmm, Princess Marron. I like it. Oh and these are for you 18" Bulma took the big bunch of brightly colored flowers from Vegeta and handed them to 18. "Vegeta, be a dear and find a vase?" Bulma asked him  
  
18 smiled, looked across at Krillen then reached out and took hold of his hand. She wondered, how long it would be until the media got wind of this news and they would again be bombarded with publicity. The royal family got far to much attention these days.  
  
"I love you" Krillen mouthed the words to her. She replied by squeezing his hand tighter.  
  
Krillen watched as Bulma sat on the bed, holding baby Marron in her arms. "So, how's it feel to be Aunty Bulma?" 18 asked. Bulma stopped, blinked and smiled, "Pretty darn good" she replied. "How it feel to be mum?" "Unbelievable"  
  
Soon there was yet another knock at the door. Only this time, it was one of the receptionists who worked for Krillen. A young man with dark brown eyes and black hair. "Sire" he asked only stepping into the room a little way. Sighing deeply, he replied, "Yes, what is it?" he wanted so badly for the first few hours of his daughter life to go by un-interrupted. But it looked like that wasn't going to happen. "You have some guests in the front parlor" "Did they have an appointment?" Krillen asked. "No sire" the young man shook his head as he spoke, then he bowed deeply and greeted 18 "Queen 18" Usually 18 would have said something, but she was far to exhausted.  
  
"Very well," Krillen said, "Thank you. You can go" The boy nodded his head and disappeared. "I'll be right back ok" Krillen promised 18, then with one last glance at his small family, he left.

He walked down the halls with a fast pace. He had no idea who he was greeting, or how long it was going to take. But when he did arrive at the parlor he got a surprise witch brought up very mixed emotions from inside him.  
  
"Kakkarot!" he cried, a smile lighting up his face, then glancing to the left of his best friend, his smile completely vanished. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his mood suddenly very somber.  
  
"Krillen," Kakkarot stepped in, "it's alright" "I asked her." Krillen firmly stated. "What are you doing here, Chi-chi?" "This is my home to Krillen" Chi-chi spoke. Krillen blinked, he hadn't seen Chi-chi in months, since he last visited her at Oakridge, and this was not the Chi-chi he had seen. Her tone of voice was passive, and her body language didn't indicate that she was at all the cold-hearted bitch she had left them as. But this was Chi-chi they were talking about, how could he trust her when she had done so much wrong in the past?  
  
"When?" Krillen asked, "When did they let you out?" Kakkarot jumped in with an answer before Chi-chi even had a chance to open her mouth, "Chi-chi has been staying at my place for about a month now"  
  
Krillen blinked. "A month? Why didn't you tell us?" "We didn't know how you would react" Chi-chi responded as she got up from the couch she had been sitting on and stood by Kakkarot's side. Krillen got the impression that they were more than 'just friends', but why? Chi-chi had done so much wrong by Kakkarot in the past.  
  
"Still, Vegeta and I should have at least been told she was better," he turned to look at Chi-chi, "you are better, aren't you?" "Krillen, what I did in the past was inexcusable. I know how wrong it was of me, and believe me, if there was anything I could do to make it better, I would. I'm sorry"  
  
Krillen shook his head, "Sorry isn't going to cut it Chi-chi. It's going to take a hell of a lot more than that to atone for all you have done. You can't just expect me to walk on in here and forgive you for all you did to my wife now, can you?"  
  
"Y-y-your wife?" Chi-chi asked, "18?" "Yes 18, my wife and the mother of my newborn daughter. Speaking of 18, I think it's best you leave before she finds out you were here" "I want," Chi-chi paused, still shocked by this latest news, "I want to see her" Krillen firmly shook his head, "No. You've hurt her enough Chi-chi. She wakes at night. Screaming. Because the horrific way you treated her still plagues her dreams. I'm not letting you anywhere near her" "Krillen," Kakkarot urged. "No, Kakkarot. This is my call. Not yours. It's my right to protect my family. And I'm sorry Chi-chi, I just...I just don't trust you"  
  
"Krillen..." the look in her eyes had more effect on Krillen then the words she spoke, but still it wasn't enough. "No Chi-chi. Not today. I don't want to put 18 through that today." He looked across at Kakkarot and sighed, "you understand, right?" he asked. "Yeah man, I understand. We'll just go home". With that said, he gently put his arm around Chi-chi shoulders and guided her out the room. Just before she reached the door though, she stopped and turned to face Krillen again.  
  
"Krillen" she spoke his name, her eyes begging with him to give her just one last chance. "I'm sorry. For everything I've done, I'm sorry" Krillen only shook his head, he just couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to forgive her. If he had though it had taken a long time to heal his relationship with his father then this was going to be hell. "I'll let everyone know that you are staying with Kakkarot. But please, don't come back. Let us come to you when we are ready"  
  
Chi-chi slowly nodded, then with one last glance at her brother, she turned and followed Kakkarot out of the palace.

Vegeta looked down at the infant in 18's arms and sighed....now the woman was going to want one of her own. Which left Vegeta in a very awkward situation. It wasn't that he didn't ever want children. He was just apprehensive that he would raise them to be like...well... him.  
  
The door opened and Krillen poked his head in. He wasted little time in getting to the point "Vegeta. We need to talk"  
  
18 and Bulma looked up at each other. Something must have been wrong.  
  
Vegeta also looked at them, then back at Krillen and headed out of the room to talk to his younger yet higher-ranking brother. "What is it?" Vegeta asked as he shut the door to Krillen and 18's bedroom behind him. "Kakkarot was just here" "Yeah," Vegeta shrugged his shoulders, "so" Krillen took a breath before he replied, "Chi-chi was with him" "What!" Vegeta exclaimed, clearly shocked beyond all belief. He made sure to lower his voice again before he spoke, "You kidding right?" Krillen shook his head, "No. She's been living with Kakkarot for a month now. I sent them both away. I feel terrible" "Krillen. There was no way in hell you could have brought her up her. The girls wouldn't have handled it well" "You're right...but still. She was apologizing and I...." He trailed off, running his temples to relieve the stress, "it seemed like such a low thing to do to her. But I had to think of 18. Her and Marron are the most important ones right now" Vegeta nodded and placed his hand on his younger brothers shoulder. Bulma had softened him up to much in these past two years. "You did the right thing" "Yeah," Krillen agreed raking his hands back through his hair. He was exhausted, not having slept for more than 24 hours. "We should tell the girls. I think that they need to know" "I'm not so sure that's a smart idea, Krillen" Vegeta argued. "Vegeta, they're going to find out one way or the other. I think they should hear it from us before they read it in the newspapers" Krillen was right, Vegeta had been defeated, "Ok then"  
  
The two boys walked back into the room, both wearing very morbid expressions on their faces. 17 and Tarie took that as an indication that something they were not supposed to be involved in was about to take place, and gathering Bianca, they quickly said their goodbyes and scuttled out the room.  
  
"Wh-whats going on?" 18 asked as she readjusted Marron in her arms. "Vegeta," Bulma asked, looking equally as concerned as 18. "Look, girls," Vegeta had left it to Krillen to do the explaining. "I'm not going to stall. I'm just going to tell you. Chi-chi was here. Just then, with Kakkarot. I don't know what else to tell you"  
  
"Chi-chi?" 18 asked. "I didn't know she was out" her voice was weak, a combination of tiredness and fear. Krillen took Marron from her and placed her in the crib, then sat down beside his wife and held her in a tight embrace. "It's alright. I sent her away" "Why?" 18 asked, astonishing everyone in the room "Well because, I didn't think you would want to see her. You or Bulma" "Krillen. I need to know that she's sorry. I need to know that what she did to me wasn't my fault" her eyes misted up as she spoke.  
  
Neither of them noticed Bulma and Vegeta slowly back out of the room to leave the King and Queen in peace. "18. You know that it wasn't your fault. Chi-chi was crazy. It had nothing to do with you and you know that" "But...I can't helping thinking. What if it was? I want to hear it from her Krillen. You understand, right?" "Well, not really babe. I thought you would be happy she was gone for good" "Krillen, I need closure. I need to know that it's over for good" "Are you sure that's what you really want? I'm only thinking of you babe. It's not going to be easy for you to come face to face with her" "I know. But I think it's something I have to do" "I don't know 18. I don't want you to go through something you can't handle" Krillen ran his hand up and down 18's arm as he spoke.  
  
"Krillen," 18 took a deep shuddering breath and briefly glance across at her tiny newborn daughter. "I need to over come this fear. I need to come face to face with Chi-chi and tell her that I did it. That I beat her and everything she put me through and I came out on top. I don't want to give her a second chance Krillen. I couldn't do that. I just want her to know that I'm ok and that she didn't win" "You've thought about this? You know it probably going to find its way to the front pages"  
  
"Yeah, but what doesn't?" 18 argued with him. "Face it, this was bound to happen sooner or later, and I'm sick and tired of waking up in the middle of the night screaming. We have a child to think about now. It's not just about us, and doing things that we want to anymore. Her life is going to be tough enough already being Princess, and she doesn't need my emotional baggage as well. Let me do this for her"  
  
Krillen sighed in defeat and kissed his wife. How could he possibly argue with that? "Fine" he gave in to his wife, just like he always did. "I'll get Kakkarot to bring her by tomorrow. I'm not leaving you alone with her though, and the second I think you've had enough, she's gone. No questions asked. Understand?"  
  
Krillen got no reply from his wife. Looking down at her, he had to smile. She had finally fallen asleep. To be completely honest, he was surprised she had managed to stay awake as long as she did. "Sleep tight, sweet heart" he kissed her fore head and gently laid her head back against the pillows. Then picking up Marron, and giving her too, a kiss on the head, he walked out the room... 

**A/N:** That's it. The real end. Thoughts would be appreciated.  
  
I would like to thank God, my parents, my main man...that sounds so sappy...now the people I would REALLY like to thank.  
  
First and foremost, I would like to thank you all as a group. You have supported me so much through out the course of this – and all my other fics, and I thank you all so much for that. With out you, there would be no Deadly Beauty. You constant support and feed back help me to improve myself and become a better writer, which is ultimately what I strive to be. So thank you all for helping me to be the best I can be and putting a smile on my face through you more than kind reviews, e-mail and IM's. I appreciate it all, so much.  
  
**xXEvilOneXx** – You've been reviewing this from practically that start. But most of all I want to thank you for helping me to get the Krillin and 18 Campaign up and running. Without you there would be no K/18 Campaign Website, and probably no K/18 Campaign at all. And I want to say thanks for being such a good friend and listening to me when I have crap days, and laughing with me (or at me) when I have good days. It means a lot to me.  
  
**Acey Dearest** – You always give me such kind and honest reviews, I really do look forward to reading them, and of course, your amazing writing as well. Thanks also for all of your help with the Campaign. It is more than a pleasure to have you as a staff member, and an absolute delight to have you as a friend.  
  
**Zany Enchantress** – Thank you for all you kind reviews and for finally updating 'The Bet' I was quite sure you had forgotten about that.  
  
**Kelly Neptunus** – For being one of my best online friends and constantly reading and reviewing my work. It means so much to me. When you start to update 'Courage' again, I'll be the first one to leave a review, I promise.  
  
**Dingrick** – Big thanks go to you. Not only for writing one of my all time favourite fics 'How I survived High School'. But for being my friend as well. For listening to me, and trusting me, and never complaining that I talk about myself too much. And of course for your lovely reviews as well.  
  
**Cold Eyes For You** – You have so many fics that it's hard to keep up with them all. I envy your ability to have so many active fics going and once and still being able to update them all. Thank you for you reviews. They are consistently kind  
  
**Dark Mean Me** – You wrote my favourite trilogy, so thank you. Any new stuff planned? Thank you for always reviewing my work and always being so friendly towards me.  
  
**Funky Munky** – I think you are the only unregistered member to have made it to this list. You reviews always make me smile, and I really appreciate every single review you have ever given me. Thank you  
  
**CraZy18gurl** – Don't worry, I didn't forget you. You're reviews are always so enthusiastic, they make me smile, laugh and sometimes even worry...lol...did you ever find my house? Anyway, thank you so much for all your reviews they both amuse me and make me feel more confident as a writer  
  
And last but not least I want to thank the member of the Krillin and 18 Campaign. I know that there are a few of you here. Your constant and on going support of my little Campaign never ceases to amaze me, and I will be forever grateful to you all for it.  
  
Well, I think that's it. I will be back though, don't you worry about that. You can't get rid of me! I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed this story, and that you will come back to read my next one. Thank you all, so very very much.  
  
Deadly Beauty


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